Sleep Talking
by Kit-Pocket
Summary: In a fierce battle of deception and seduction, L and Light discover that falling in love is as hard to stop as a dream. L/Light ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1: Dreams

Yes, it's true. I have gotten into Death Note. And it is FANTABULOUS. And I mean that in the greatest way possible.

Unfortunately, I have not been to the bookstore recently, and I prefer reading and owning the manga, so I'm only on volume four. So that's about where this fic is; somewhere when Light is helping the investigation team and L at the hotel room. They're in the hotel room right now, and everyone else has gone home. Just to fill you in.

Warning: Has hints to yaoi, and L!flirt. Oh my. I suppose you could call it L/Light.

I do not own Death Note or any of the characters. This is a fanmade story, made just for fun. No profits are made from this story.

-----

"Light-kun…"

"Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"Which one of us do you think is the most submissive?"

Light was shocked. What was L asking this question for? Another trick to try and catch him? If Light said that L was the more submissive one, L's suspicion would rise, because Kira was proud and would hate to say that he found himself more submissive than anyone. But if he said it was himself, then L would think that Light was saying that on purpose, to lower his suspicion, thus raising his suspicion. Not to mention it would seem very strange, because Light would never say that he was more submissive than anyone. But that trait alone raises suspicion, so maybe he should make it seem like that trait wasn't there at all by calling himself the more submissive one? But it was too late for that; at this point it would just seem out of character. So either way, he would raise suspicion.

"Why do you ask, Ryuzaki?"

L chewed thoughtfully on his thumb, expression not changing. "Just curious."

Light nearly laughed out loud. L wasn't "just curious". He was testing Light to see if he was Kira. Light had an idea.

"Well, honestly, I think we're evenly matched. Neither of us would ever back down to anyone or anything," Light said casually.

"Incorrect."

"Huh?"

Was L suggesting that Light was submissive? Was he trying to diss him? Or was L saying that he himself was submissive, thus trying to hint that Light could gain an advantage, to trick him? Then, when he tried to take advantage of it, L would turn the whole thing around on him. It was a sneaky way to act, and didn't seem much like something L would do. But Light didn't want to rule out the possibility. But if L said that Light was more submissive, he might be trying to hide his own submissiveness, thus gaining an advantage in his assumption that Light would then assume that L was stronger than he. But Light knew that wasn't true, so what advantage would there be? Surely L knew that Light would never think that L was stronger than him.

"I think you are the more submissive one."

Light laughed, but on the inside, he was fuming. Damn you, L! "Why do you say that? You're strange, Ryuzaki."

L smiled slyly behind his thumb. "Because of your dreams, Light-kun."

Light gasped mentally. His dreams? Light never remembered his dreams. He just remembered feeling a little disgusted with himself afterwards sometimes, but he never understood why. Did L watch him sleep? There were the cameras, but those weren't around very long, so how would L know about all of his dreams? How did he know about any of his dreams at all? Did Light talk in his sleep? Fortunately, if he did, he apparently never said anything about the Death Note or being Kira, because he wasn't in jail. Or dead. Did L hook up a machine to his head to see the nature of his dreams or something? _Think, Light, think! Did L ever have a chance to see you sleeping, without the risk of you waking up?_

Light kept his face looking cool, not revealing his slight panic. "My… dreams?"

L kept grinning. "You talk in your sleep, Light-kun."

So he did talk in his sleep! What had he said? Would L tell him, or would he keep him guessing? Was this a test? Did he really talk in his sleep, or was L saying that to try and make him say something only Kira would know again? He had to stay calm, be careful about his words. He didn't even know what he dreamt about; what could L possibly get out of him? He did remember L being in a couple of his dreams, but that's all he remembered. Did he talk about killing L? Was L's suspicion rising? Was he, in fact, certain that Light was Kira? No, no, not possible. He would have arrested Light already if that were true. The only thing to do was to wait and see just what he had said while sleep-talking.

Light smirked, like he was playing along with a young child. "And what did I say?"

"Oh, nothing much," L said, picking up his cup of tea and taking a sip. He turned away from Light casually, still smiling. Light could have sworn L's cheeks were pink with pleasure, like he was enjoying himself immensely. Did he also feel like he was playing along with a young child? It seemed like it. "Only a few things of interest."

Light felt a drop of sweat run down his cheek. What did he say? Out with it, L! "Such as?"

"Do you really want to know?"

It was getting very, very difficult to stay calm. "Yes! Please, tell me."

"Well, I don't remember exactly," said L, stirring his tea lazily with a silver spoon, "But it was something like this."

L handed him a piece of paper with typing on it. It almost looked like a script of some sort. Light felt anger rise. He… He was planning this?!

His eyes scanned the page, widening with every line they passed. "No… no way…"

**LIGHT YAGAMI SLEEP PATTERN**

**12:15 AM**

**Turns over violently, twitches.**

**1:42 AM**

**Slight stirring, begins to make noises.**

**Yagami: Ah… nn…**

**Back arches, murmurs some words, only some are able to be made out.**

**Yagami: Ryu… ah… don't…**

**Intense movement and occasional noises for five minutes. At 1:47 AM, speaks again, more clearly this time.**

**Yagami: Don't stop… ryu…**

**Speaking stops there, movement ceases after another four minutes. Nothing else of interest for the rest of the night.**

Light's eye twitched. This sounded like… like…

"I don't think you're talking to me in that dream, Light… hyuk hyuk," said Ryuk, grinning.

"I think you came to the same conclusion I did, Light-kun," said L, his smile never faltering. "You were dreaming of somebody named Ryu, or someone who could be called Ryu… and you didn't really sound that aggressive." He sipped some more of his tea, looking victorious.

Light felt embarrassed and furious. How could L be so calm about this? They both came to the same conclusion, and Light's conclusion was that this dream was definitely about L. It was really obvious. He would call L either Ryuzaki or Ryuga when speaking, and, like the death god said, this was definitely not a dream about Ryuk. L was the only possibility. After all, L's face was often all Light would remember of his dreams. But he had never imagined that this was the nature of his dreams about L. This was all just way too messed up. Perhaps L made up this document, this dream, everything? Was he just trying to unnerve him? What benefit was there? Was L bored? Was he just trying to mess with him? Or was this all true, and did he really dream these things? How could he not remember a dream like this? And why would L show him this document in the first place? There couldn't possibly a tie to the Kira case in this, could there? How did this dream change anything? Was it not supposed to? Was L just waiting for his reaction? Was it his reaction that changed everything?

Light gulped and glanced at L. L looked back, still looking amused. Damn him… "What… what is this?"

"Your dream, Light-kun. What else?"

Light wanted to snap L's neck right then and there. If only nicknames worked in the Death Note. What was he playing at?!

"There's no need to hold back your emotions, Light-kun," said L, his face drooping back into an expressionless stare, "You must be feeling incredibly embarrassed; it's only the natural emotion to feel in this situation…"

Despite how much Light wanted to hold it back, embarrassment was the leading emotion here. His face, usually completely serious, began to morph into a cherry red expression of distress.

"I hope you are not mad at me," said L, leaning in so their faces were only inches apart, "Light-kun…"

Light was stunned. L had the nerve to bring up this humiliating piece of information, and then pretend to **flirt** with him? Light felt the urge to slap him, but he forced himself to remain composed. He had to stay cool and collected. He was Light Yagami, serious and studious college student. Light Yagami didn't overreact. Light Yagami didn't lose his cool.

Light Yagami didn't have dreams about his arch-nemesis.

He had gotten himself into a huge mess.

"Ryuzaki," Light said, as calmly as he could, "Please, forgive me, but… may I leave now?"

L backed away, face still blank. "Of course. I will not keep you here. After all, it is late, and your father has already left."

"Thank you." Light stood up, nodding to L. "Good night, Ryuzaki."

"Good night, Light-kun."

Light then left, his blood boiling. He would have some serious screaming to do when he got back to his desk. Damn that L… What was his purpose in showing him that piece of paper?

L watched him go, bringing his thumb back to his mouth. His lips turned upward, back into his sly smile. "Light-kun, whether or not you are Kira, I plan on bringing that submissive side out of you." He took another sip of his tea, then popped a sugar cube into his mouth. Cars could be heard outside his window, and he heard gears shifting on a bus; the bus Light was riding home. "After all, I got it out of you before."

**END...?**

Heheheh. L, you pervert. Of course, I might be the pervert, since I wrote it. ...Oh well. Not important.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2: Plotting

Yes, it's true. I am continuing the fic! It was just meant to be a oneshot, but after positive reviews, I began to think about it some more, and was hit with inspiration! This could actually turn out to be a very long fic, and might even end up being my first M-rated fic... but probably not. Don't get your hopes up. XD

But I can promise you this: this WILL be L/Light. Can I hear a booyah?

I do not own Death Note or any of the characters.

--

This wasn't happening. This could **not** be happening.

That whole encounter hadn't really happened. It was all a dream. And, of course, it was the only dream he had ever had with **L** in it.

Light slammed the door to his house, ran up the stairs into his room, and slammed **that** door, too. He wanted to scream, but his family was asleep, and he'd rather not wake them up and face questions.

"What's the matter with you, Light? You're acting like one of your plans went wrong again," said Ryuk.

"Ryuk, just shut up. You wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I wouldn't. I can't even _dream_ about sex. You humans are lucky, you know that?"

"**What?!**" Light turned and glared at the grinning Shinigami. "How is having _that_ kind of dream about _**L**_ **lucky**?!"

"Hyuk hyuk, well, if you dream about him, you must be attracted to him… So it's pretty lucky for you, if you ask me, hyuk hyuk," said Ryuk, chuckling like mad.

"I am **not** attracted to him! It's a result of spending too much time around him. It happens! And I didn't have that kind of dream! This is all a misunderstanding, clearly!"

Ryuk thought that Light was having some serious denial issues, but he didn't say so, because Light could be really scary when he was mad.

"I can't believe this! Why would he bring that up? **Why**? **How** could he possibly benefit from something like that?!" Light hissed in a stage whisper.

"Maybe he likes you, too."

"Wha--? Too?! Listen, Ryuk, and listen carefully. It's all hormones. It's perfectly natural for human beings to have dreams like that about people they know. So, in conclusion… _**I DO NOT LIKE L!!**_"

Ryuk gulped and backed away. "Okay, okay!" _Although, 'Ryu' is the only name __**I've**__ ever heard you say… _"But maybe **he** likes **you**."

Light sighed. "Yes, perhaps… Although I don't like the thought of it." He smirked. "I could use that to my advantage…"

"How?"

"To get him to trust me, of course. I could act like I like him back…"

"I thought you didn't—"

"ACT, Ryuk!"

"Oh, right… Sure."

Light glared at Ryuk. "As I was saying… I could act like I like him back, and then when we're… together…" He shuddered. "I could find a way to get his name."

"I kind of doubt he'd give you his name," said Ryuk. "I don't see him doing that."

"You underestimate the power of human emotions, Ryuk," said Light, smirking. "Haven't you ever really watched girls around me? Really watched?"

"I still don't think—"

"Ryuk. Who's the genius here, you or me?"

"Just because you're smarter than me doesn't mean I'm wrong," said Ryuk, narrowing his eyes.

"**Ryuk**!"

Ryuk sighed. "You are."

"Thank you. And so, I will get L to trust me, and I shall finally get his name… and then, L," Light murmured, leaning back in his chair, "I'll kill you."

_De ja vu_, thought Ryuk, grabbing an apple off of the desk.

--

L stared out of the window in the direction of Light's house. His face was as blank as it always was, but he seemed to be thinking hard. He chewed thoughtfully on his thumb, not looking up when Watari walked into the room.

"Master Ryuzaki," asked Watari, placing a tray of tea and sugar in front of L, "What exactly are your plans for Master Light?"

"What an odd question, Watari," said L, glancing at him. He poured his tea and then dropping a handful of sugar cubes in his cup. "I was sure it would be obvious to you."

Watari bowed and stepped back, straightening his suit. "I'm afraid it isn't, Master Ryuzaki. That is, I have hazarded a guess, but I would prefer hearing the truth from you rather than just assuming things."

L dropped a few more sugar cubes into his tea before he spoke again. The sugar was now piled over the rim of the cup. "What is your guess, Watari?"

"My guess, Master Ryuzaki, is that you are attempting to… seduce, young Master Light, in order to gain his trust and possibly gain a confession," said Watari, his moustache twitching but otherwise remaining still.

"That is 55% correct, Watari," said L, stirring in the last of the sugar. It melted into the dark liquid, and the smell was sickeningly sweet. "30% is because of my natural attraction… Light-kun is a very beautiful young man."

"And the last 15%, Master Ryuzaki?"

L smiled and said, "Light-kun has shown a very different side of himself in his dreams… I want to discover just what causes him to act so out of character." He took a long sip of his tea, and Watari bowed and excused himself from the room.

L stared out of the window once more, a smile still playing on his lips as he brought his thumb back to his mouth.

--


	3. Chapter 3: Research

It's true that L could have been acting out of attraction back then

It's true that L could have been acting out of attraction back then. But Light had to keep in mind that this was L. Most likely, this was all a plot to gain _his_ trust so he would confess to being Kira. However, that was also a rather desperate tactic; L would probably not do that unless he had to, or unless he really did have some… 'Feelings' for him, and so would be fulfilling his desires and possibly catching Kira at the same time… If that was the case, than this could most definitely be used to Light's advantage. Light just had to come up with the best way of going about it. He could easily manipulate a woman's emotions, but L's? L didn't even seem to have any emotions most of the time. This had to be handled carefully. Unfortunately, he might have to act as the submissive one sometimes (not that he's in any way submissive, not at all) in order to gain L's affections. As horrible as the thought of being submissive to L was, if it would bring him victory, then it was worth it. L would die before this was over, that was for certain; and Light would look down on his grave and laugh, and laugh, and laugh…

Ryuk groaned, trying to keep still. "Oi, Light."

And laugh some more, and then perhaps spit on his grave, for good measure…

"Light!"

Then… Yes, then he would take over. He would be L **and** Kira, and then he would be GOD! He would have his perfect world! L, prepare yourself, for you will soon be gone! Bow down to Kira! Bow down to humanity's savior!

"LIGHT!"

"WHAT?!" Light turned to Ryuk, glaring daggers at the Shinigami. No one should ever interrupt his mental rants! "What do you want, Ryuk?!"

"I need an apple," said Ryuk, his body twitching. A few more minutes, and his body would be twisting into pretzels and doing handstands.

Light scowled. "Right now? Can't it wait?"

Ryuk looked down at his twitching arms, then back up at Light. "…No."

"Ugh, fine." Light stood up and walked towards the door. "Geez, my family is going to start thinking I have an apple fetish because of you, Ryuk." He walked downstairs into the kitchen, the Shinigami following close behind, bouncing up and down in excitement. He grabbed an apple and then went back into his room, Ryuk beginning to drool as the apple shone bright red in the fluorescent light.

Light tossed the apple to Ryuk after he closed the door. "Okay, Ryuk… It's time to do some research."

Ryuk devoured the apple messily, causing the juices to roll down his chin. Swallowing and wiping his face, he turned to Light. "Research?"

"Yes, research," said Light, turning on his computer. "Humans are a very perverted species, Ryuk. It's astonishing what you can find on the Internet." He opened the Internet and went to Google, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

Ryuk stared at the screen. "Umm… Light."

Light leaned on the desk and clicked on a link, not looking up at the Shinigami. "Yes, Ryuk?"

"Why are you looking up 'L and Kira doujins'?" asked Ryuk, staring at the website that appeared on this screen. It was covered with pictures and descriptions of stories. Most of them seemed to be Kira/L or L/Kira, with mature ratings and pictures of gorgeous men that Ryuk assumed were supposed to be the two geniuses. One of them had a picture of a cartoon beaver with a nametag that read "Kira", and Ryuk noticed that Light glared at it as he scrolled down the page.

"I'm delving into the minds of the public. There has to be **some** insight to be gained from the idiot masses. Hopefully, something in these doujins will provide a decent course of action for winning over L." Light stopped scrolling and ran his eyes over a bright pink drawing of two young men hugging each other and laughing at nothing in particular.

"Where'd they come from? Did people actually **make** these?" asked Ryuk, his eyes widening at the happy-happy-joy-joy aura coming from the depiction of the serial killer and the detective hunting him down.

"As I said, Ryuk, humans are a very perverse species," Light replied, clicking on a download link. Light glanced through the pages, taking mental notes of the gooey, sappy love story. "Apparently, there is something very appealing about the thought of L and Kira being together."

"That's kind of creepy," said Ryuk. The happy, huggy version of Kira was a teenage boy who had gotten killing powers from above, and L turned out to be his next-door neighbor. The two fell in love, and when they discovered each other's true identities, ran away together.

"I know." Light sighed. "I can't believe people would pair me with **L**. It's completely absurd."

Ryuk chuckled. "But it's kind of funny, too. Can we read that beaver one later?"

Light glared at him. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

Ryuk sighed. "Fine..." _I'll just look it up when you're asleep, then._ "What's that one?" he asked, pointing to a picture of a man with long blond hair holding a scythe.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out," said Light, clicking on it. After a minute's wait, it opened. Light recoiled in horror. "Oh dear God!"

"**Whoa**!" yelled Ryuk, staring at it in shock. "…Whoa. I didn't know the human body could bend that way."

Light quickly closed the window, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. "The human mind is a ghastly, twisted place, Ryuk. Be glad you're not one of them."

_You're human too, you know, God Boy, _thought Ryuk, chuckling at Light's appalled expression. "So, learn anything?"

"Only that the masses are very bad writers," said Light, sighing. "I guess I'll have to tackle this challenge on my own."

"Is that really all L is to you? A challenge to get through?" asked Ryuk.

Light looked at him curiously. "Of course. What else could he be?"

Ryuk looked back at the computer screen. "…Maybe… a contortionism partner?"

Ryuk snickered madly and floated away to play Mario Golf, leaving Light in bewilderment. "A contortionism…? Oh, God, Ryuk!"


	4. Chapter 4: Ready, Set, Go

Sorry it took so long--there were some complications.

Enjoy!

--

L walked into the room and paused. Something wasn't right.

He looked around and observed the investigation team, looking for signs of the nonstandard. There was something going on, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Let's see: Light, Soichiro, Aizawa, and—Hello. No Matsuda. That was definitely the problem. And this dilemma was indeed a troubling one.

No Matsuda meant no donuts.

L **needed** his morning donuts. He always had his morning donuts, followed by his morning tea, moving on to his banana split brunch, then on to his lunch of strawberry cake, and so on, and so forth… **Always. In. That. Order.**

He would _not_ have his day ruined because of Matsuda. This was not what he needed. It was the very beginning of his plan with Light, and how could he get a step closer to Light when he was cranky because of sugar withdrawal? Not possible. Simply not an option.

Matsuda chose that moment to walk in, apologizing for the delay and carrying a large box of donuts. But it was too late; L was mad.

L whipped his head around to stare straight into Matsuda's eyes. "Matsuda-san. Why are you here now?"

Taking a nervous step back, Matsuda explained, "Because… I'm working on this case?"

"No. What I meant was, why are you here **now**, instead of being here earlier, when having my morning donuts was most vital?"

"Uh…" Matsuda clutched the box of donuts closer to his chest, taking another step away from L. "W-well, you see, I tried to get here sooner… But the line was really, really long… There was this big group of children there, and this one lady was trying to keep them under control—I think she was their mother—and I was suddenly handed a baby, and I didn't know what to do, and I was late and I knew it and I had a meter running and **I didn't know what to do**…" Matsuda was starting to panic. He squeezed the donuts harder, like they were a security blanket. "I'm really, really sorry!"

L narrowed his eyes in exasperation. "All right, Matsuda-san, I understand. Now, give me the donuts."

Matsuda fumbled with the donut box as he tried to hand it to L. "I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, I really…" Splat. "…am…"

L stared at Matsuda, eyes wide. Then he lowered his gaze to the box of donuts, which had fallen open and thrown sugary goodness all over his feet. Then he looked back at Matsuda.

"Uh… oops." Matsuda gulped and looked at L sheepishly. "I'm s-sorry… Are you mad, Ryuzaki?"

Keeping eye contact, L's voice was cold and detached. "Mad? Oh, no, Matsuda-san. I'm not mad," he said, his toes twitching, causing the icing to squelch. "I'm _pissed_."

Matsuda's eyes widened and he looked at the others for help. But, oh, there was no help for him now. Not now, not ever. L wasn't sure what he should do, but that fresh, steaming pot of coffee seemed in reaching distance…

"Ryuzaki…" L froze as hot breath hit his ear and a hand gripped his shoulder firmly. "Settle down…"

Turning his head slightly, L saw that it was Light who was speaking in his ear. Light had an odd look in his eyes that reminded L of one of those porn websites that kept attacking his computer screen.

"Don't worry, Ryuzaki," Light made a point of saying L's false name huskily, "Watari can get some for you, right?"

The rest of the task force seemed stunned at Light's closeness to L. This was uncharacteristic beyond doubt. Light usually seemed to avoid touching L like he was diseased.

"You're right, Light-kun," said L, not breaking eye contact with Light, "I was acting impulsively."

Light smirked and walked back to his station without a word. Matsuda, not noticing Light's odd behavior, breathed a sigh of relief and looked to Light with a grateful expression. He thought he was in the clear, but L would find a way to pour that hot coffee down his shirt later…

Oh, to heck with subtlety. L grabbed the pot and poured it down Matsuda's back.

Ignoring the cries of pain, L sat down in front of his laptop and began to think. Light was acting strange. There was no doubt that the young man had been flirting with him, judging by the body language and stare. But that wasn't how Light would react if he was honestly attracted to L. Light would be angry and embarrassed, denying it completely and possibly ignoring L for a certain period of time. The way he was acting matched the way he treated the thousands of girls he constantly had at his feet.

So, in short, Light was attempting to use him.

Perhaps this was a response to L's 'challenge'. Was he trying to show his superiority? He may have been saying, "Look, L, I'm not afraid of your advances! In fact, I'm advancing back! Ha HA!"

Yes, that was probably it.

In fact, Light may have been doing the same thing as L: using emotions for information. Did Light honestly think he would get L's name that way? The chance of Light being Kira was now 17.

L's eyes narrowed. _All right then, Light. If that's how you want to play, then let the games begin._

--

Please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5: Subtlety

That's it?

The room was quiet, and work was going on as usual. Ryuk stood over Light's shoulder, waiting for him to make a move. Surely after the incident with the donuts, Light was going to play off of the stirred-up emotions and flirt a little more. But Light didn't budge.

It was all pretty boring. And there was never a chance to have a nice, juicy apple in this place. There weren't even any apples at all, except the ones Watari brought in that were covered in gooey, sticky caramel. The only time Ryuk had ever had an apple in the hotels was when he found one in a display in the lobby; and that had been plastic. Well, it had tasted better than the ones from the Shinigami Realm, anyway.

As for the plan to seduce L, this wasn't what he had been expecting. He had thought that Light would go in full-throttle to sweep L off of his feet. After all, wasn't his motto "to win, you have to attack"?

But instead, Light had just gotten a little close, and left it at that. It was all too boring! At least the coffee down Matsuda's back had been entertaining, but that was all over now.

When Light had said that his technique would be 'subtlety', this wasn't what Ryuk had in mind.

_-- flashback --_

Ryuk took a bite of his apple and stretched over the bed covers. Light was at his desk, writing names into the Death Note. "Oi, Light. What exactly are you planning?"

"Not now, Ryuk."

Ryuk sighed and took another mouthful. Light had been acting very rashly lately. Ryuk suspected that Light was actually letting his emotions get ahead of him in this battle, but that was just too unlike him. Could it be that Light was unable to think of anything? But no, this was Light he was talking about.

Light put down his pen and lay back in his chair. "Now, what is it?"

"What are you planning with L?"

Glancing at Ryuk, Light gave a smirk. "Don't want to be surprised this time, Ryuk?"

"I'm really curious this time. You don't seem to be putting as much thought into your actions as usual," said Ryuk, "I want to know what you're thinking."

Chuckling, Light grabbed the pen and pushed up the false bottom of his drawer. "I don't always announce my plans aloud, you know," said Light, putting the Death Note away.

"So what is it?"

"Subtlety."

"Subtlety?"

"Yes, Ryuk. Subtlety. Don't make me repeat myself."

"How is that supposed to win L over?"

"Think of it this way, Ryuk. Girls love romance. They want flowers, chocolates, and confessions left and right. The significant other being bold and in power is a complete and total turn-on. They're selfish, pathetic, and easy.

"Men are the opposite. They want things to go according to their jurisdiction. They are uninterested in the sappy clichés woman gush over. Being too bold is intimidating, because it suggests that there could be a break in power. They are shallow, strong-willed, and intelligent."

"Sure, whatever. Point?" Ryuk swallowed the last of his apple and grabbed another one off of the desk.

"Women want you to be strong," Light explained, "Men want you to be weak. I need to go slowly, to steadily and surely break L's control."

Munch, munch. "But if you go too slowly, will he even notice?"

"It's L. Of course he'll notice."

"Then won't he know what you're trying to do?"

Light's smirk grew wider. "What I need to do is make it strong enough for him to notice, but subtle enough for it to look natural."

-- _flashback end_ --

L seemed to notice; it really hadn't been all that subtle. Ryuk assumed that the whole thing had been spontaneous. But, by what Ryuk knew about human courting, it _had_ looked natural. Still, when Light said that he would need to go slowly, Ryuk thought he meant at least a _little_ faster than this.

Of course, L wasn't doing anything either. Did L and Light have the same plan?

--

Currently, Light was deep in thought.

_As I thought, L is not making any moves just yet. He most likely knows that this is just a response to his challenge, and he's using the same technique I am. Then again, it's L, so he might not know anything about romancing. But still, I should be on guard. I don't want to fall for any tricks._

_I myself can't make any more moves just yet. That last move was too out-there—I shouldn't have tried to improvise. If I'm too obvious, even an idiot like Matsuda could figure out what I'm doing. If others interfere, this will get way too complicated. I'll just have to lay low for now, until L and I are alone again, or at least until enough time has passed for my actions to not stand out quite as much._

Every now and again, he would glance at L, in case the man was watching. When someone was attracted to another, they would find it hard to not look at the person; he had to be believable. Method acting was the key.

--

As for L, he knew what he had to do.

_Light-kun knows that I know what he's doing. That's the way of thinking with which I have to go about this. If Light-kun knows I know, then he will not expect me to move for quite some time, as he thinks that it would make it all too obvious to the others. However, emotions are not stirred the most by the large, dramatic moves, but the small, casual ones. In this case, I shall go with a planned accident. There is a 17 chance of such a 'coincidence' surprising Light-kun and catching him off guard. It is not the best percentage to go with, but it is worth an attempt._

Now, to set up the planned accident. He would have to make it look normal; something as extreme as tripping and falling on top of Light would be too much, and getting Light towards him would make it too difficult and too obvious. Taking a quick glance around the room, he made his plan.

_Thank you, Matsuda-san._

"Watari," said L, turning around in his chair, "Would you please get me a cup of coffee?"

"I'm afraid we're... out, Master Ryuzaki," said Watari, gesturing towards the empty pot of coffee that was sitting on the desk beside Matsuda.

"Oh? Oh well. Could you get me a slice of cake, then, please?"

"Of course, Master Ryuzaki." Watari bowed and left to the kitchen.

"Why don't you just ask him to make another pot?" asked Aizawa.

"I'm afraid Watari does not make the best coffee, Aizawa-san," said L, nibbling on his index finger.

"I could make some," Matsuda offered, getting up from his chair.

"I'm afraid what you make does not even resemble coffee, Matsuda-san."

Matsuda sat back down, muttering something incoherent under his breath.

Light sighed and stood up. "I'll get you some, Ryuzaki."

"Why, thank you, Light-kun." L watched as the young man strolled over to the coffee pot. _Thank you for cooperating, Light-kun. It is greatly appreciated._

When the coffee was ready and Light finished pouring it into a mug, L took his opportunity. "Not enough sugar, Light-kun."

"What?" Light turned around, eyebrows raised.

"Not enough sugar."

Turning back around, Light dropped a few more sugar cubes into the hot liquid. "Is that enough?"

"No."

A few more. _Plop_,_ plop_. "How about now?"

"Hold on." L stood up from his chair and walked over to Light and the coffee.

Light's eyes suddenly grew cold. He was on guard now. Oh well, it was still worth a try. "What are you doing?"

"Helping. This will take forever if you do it that way, Light-kun," said L, stepping next to Light and grabbing a handful of sugar cubes. He poured them out of his hand into the drink slowly, trying to time everything just right.

It was obvious that Light was trying really hard to not roll his eyes. After all, at this pace, L was taking just as long as Light would have taken. It was time. Reaching for another handful of sugar, he brushed his hand against Light's ever-so-slightly.

Light stiffened at the contact. _Success._

He threw the rest of the sugar into the cup, not needing to take it slow any longer. "That will do, Light-kun."

He could feel the glare in his back as he went back to his seat. He smiled faintly. It was always fun to tease Light.

_That obviously did not make the biggest effect. But all progress is progress, and it was enjoyable. _

--

Back at his seat, Light was trying to control his anger and embarrassment.

_That was obviously on purpose! He just did that to try and catch me off guard. Not enough sugar, my ass... _

--

Ryuk smirked. "Aww, Light's blushing... hyuk hyuk." _At last, some entertainment!_

--


	6. Chapter 6: Beholder

At last, they were alone. L had managed to get everyone out of the building. Everyone, that is, but Light.

L acted casual, stacking boxes of animal crackers while chewing on the head of a lion. Light read various documents and statistics, trying to decide what to do.

_If I'm going to make this work, I need to start out small, and then build into something big. I can't just go running in head-first. I'll use the same maneuver L used earlier today; small gestures and touches, barely noticeable. After setting the mood, I __**will**__ have to kiss him, unfortunately. But I need to be ready to do anything. This is to get L's name._

He looked around the room; it was dirty and unorganized, covered in papers from the day's work. _But this is no place to do it._ His eyes landed on the balcony, which had an excellent view of the downtown area. _Perfect._

Sighing, he handed the papers to L. "I'm done with these, Ryuzaki."

L nodded and swallowed the cookie. Reaching for the documents, he asked, "Figure anything out, Light-kun?"

"No…" As L grabbed the papers, Light made sure that their hands touched for at least two seconds longer than necessary. "…Not really."

L glanced at Light's hands before holding the documents above his head like they were infected. "Really, Light-kun? I myself thought the sudden increase in fatalities among rapists and repeat sexual harassers was odd."

Leaning back in his chair, Light shrugged. "Looking at the numbers, it seemed to me that that was just a coincidence."

"Oh?" After looking at the papers for another moment, L put them down. "Cookie?"

"Huh?" Light glanced at L, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Was that supposed to be a pet name?

"Do you want a cookie, Light-kun?" asked L, holding out a gorilla between his fingers.

"Oh. No thank you, Ryuzaki," said Light, shaking his head.

L stared at him, his eyes wide, and if that wasn't what his expression always looked like, Light would have been under the impression that L thought he was insane for turning down an animal cracker. But then L shrugged and ate the gorilla himself, looking away from Light.

Light glanced at the window, then back at L. He had to get them on that balcony.

Standing up, he looked at the various papers on the table. "So, what else is there to look at?"

Without even looking at him, L answered, "There are three more papers you haven't seen, but they are mainly the death rates of certain locations and crimes."

Light sat down next to L on the couch, pretending to be focused on the documents. "Which ones are they?"

"…They are somewhere underneath all the others, Light-kun. Since they were not very important, I did not feel the need to organize," said L, giving him a wary look.

Laughing, Light said, "I wasn't aware you were even capable of organization, Ryuzaki." He began digging through the papers, those that he had already seen pushed away in the search of the unknown.

"Some of us have unique forms of organization, Light-kun," said L, grabbing another box and putting it on top of his cracker tower. "I happen to know exactly where every file is in my cabinets, even without alphabetization."

"Oh?" Light reached over to grab a paper that was falling off of the table, having to lean over L in order to attain it. He took a look at L's face to see if he had gotten a reaction. Nothing. "Well, you _are_ a genius, after all…"

"As are you, Light-kun. And yet you feel the need to have everything orderly and structured," said L, holding a polar bear in the air and then dropping it into his mouth. "One might call that OCD."

Light's eye twitched, but he made himself laugh. "Liking order doesn't automatically mean a disorder, you know."

"Of course not. At this point, there is only a 45 chance." L grabbed the box of crackers at the top of cookies, opening it and carefully placing cookies in his mouth, one after the other.

Finally finding the papers he needed, Light read through them as quickly as possible. "I don't see any noticeable patterns. Everything is the same as usual."

"As I said, they are not very important."

Light turned to L, opening his mouth like he was about to say something, but changing his mind and standing up.

L put down the box of cookies, looking up at Light. "What's the matter, Light-kun?"

"I'm just going to go out on the balcony," said Light, opening the door to the terrace. "Want to join me?"

He paused at first, as if considering it; but L at last stood, sticking his hands in his pockets. "All right, Light-kun. I could use some fresh air, I suppose."

Leaning on the railing, Light watched the lights of cars and billboards flickering in the distance. "I can't tell if it's beautiful or hideous."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Light-kun," said L, standing in the doorway, "So it depends on you."

"What do you think it is, Ryuzaki?" asked Light, turning to the older man.

Walking towards the railing, L leaned onto it as well, using his elbows to hold himself up. "I believe it is neither, Light-kun. It is just another city."

Light wanted to scoff, but he chuckled. "With that attitude, everything must look incredibly boring to you."

"Indeed, it does," said L, looking into Light's eyes. "Unless something extraordinary comes along, I am never truly fascinated."

_He's starting to remind me of Ryuk,_ thought Light, staring back. "And what would you consider extraordinary?"

"Something intelligent, strong, individualistic…" L got off of the railing and took a step towards Light. "…And beautiful."

"I thought you said beauty is in the eye of the beholder," said Light, putting a hand on the balustrade.

"Am I not a beholder, Light-kun?" asked L, taking another step and putting his hand on Light's shoulder.

Light looked at the hand, then back into L's eyes. "Ryuzaki, what are you..?"

"I do believe I'm in love with you, Light-kun," L murmured, leaning in and kissing the shocked man.

Eyes wide, Light was the perfect picture of surprise. When L finally pulled away, he slowly raised his hand to his lips, rubbing his fingers against them as if he was checking that they were still there. "…Ryuzaki…"

"I'm sorry, Light-kun," said L, walking into the hotel room. "You may forget that happened, if you wish to."

"I…" Light gazed at L longingly, putting his hand back down by his side. "I won't forget, Ryuzaki. But I'm not sure how to respond just yet…"

"I understand. Do not rush yourself, Light-kun," said L, not looking at him. He went back to stacking boxes silently, holding his knees closely to his chest.

Light sighed and grabbed his things, walking out of the room without a word.

Ryuk met him outside, looking amused. "I was watching you two, you know. Reminded me a lot of one of those 'chick flicks'… Hyuk hyuk hyuk."

Light glared at him as the bus pulled in. "Stupid Shinigami," he muttered, pulling out the bus fare.

At home, Light practically ran into the bathroom. He covered his toothbrush with toothpaste, and began firmly brushing his teeth for five minutes straight.

"Lousy aftertaste?" asked Ryuk, grinning as he took a bite from an apple.

"He tastes like a sugar-coated chocolate factory," Light growled, tossing the toothbrush in its place and climbing the stairs to his bedroom. As he got into his pajamas, he paused and rubbed his lips once more, a pensive expression on his face.

Ryuk watched him curiously, chewing on the apple core. He smirked as Light shook all thoughts out of his head and climbed into bed angrily. "Something wrong, Light?"

"Shut up, Ryuk."

--

At headquarters, L was chuckling to himself.

"That was fun. But Light-kun, how will you respond to such an act?"

--


	7. Chapter 7: Requited

Light knew what he had to do, but honestly, he really wanted to put it off.

However, Light wouldn't let his emotions get ahead of him. He had to make his move. It wouldn't be too difficult; it's not like he would mean it.

But it would be much less stressful if he didn't have classes with L all. Day. Long.

For the whole day, he felt L's stare on his back. Or, more accurately, his face; L had sat next to him in every course. Sitting next to him wasn't atypical, but after events like last night's, it stood out much more than usual. As did the staring. The never-ending staring. It had been easier before all this; L would only glance at him every now and again, when comments were made in class that might have raised a reaction out of Light. Now, however, the watching wouldn't stop. Not even for a second.

L truly didn't care at all about appearances, did he? No matter how much the girls whispered, or the guys laughed, or the teachers huffed, L would not stop looking at Light. Didn't he know the impression it gave? He must have. Light would have stared back—he wasn't going to take this challenge without a fight—but then it would just become a staring contest, and he wouldn't be able to focus on his classes. He had to maintain his grades.

This whole thing was seriously getting on Light's nerves. L kept getting the upper hand. Light was _not_ going to lose this battle. He would win. L would come to trust him, adore him—Light would make sure of that; soon he would know L's name, and then all of his obstacles would be gone. At last, he would be the god of the new world. His utopia was coming, and the only price he had to pay was peace of mind…

"Light-kun," said L, smiling a pointy, goblin-like smile, "Class is over. Shall we go to your favorite café?"

…And hanging out with **this** guy…

"Not today, Ryuga. I wanted to speak with you somewhere more private," said Light, putting away his papers. "The men's locker room is always deserted at this hour. Would that be fine with you?" _What I must sound like…_

"All right, Light-kun. But you owe me a slice of cake," said L, smile growing wider.

"Of course, Ryuga. My treat."

--

"So what did you wish to speak with me about, Light-kun?" asked L, putting his hand to his mouth and looking at Light with wide eyes.

Running a hand through his hair, Light sighed. "I think you already know, Ryuga..."

"Yes... But for the sake of civility, I asked you anyway, Light-kun."

Light smirked. "Ryuga..."

"You may call me Ryuzaki here, if you wish," said L, nibbling on his thumb, "If you are more comfortable with that, Light-kun."

"I'll call you whatever you want, Ryuzaki," said Light, "If you'll just hear me out..."

"Your words shall reach my ears, Light-kun."

"God damn it..." Light groaned and sat down on the bench. "I don't know how I should put this..." He looked to the floor, his hair falling over his eyes. "I know it's stupid to feel this way, because of what you said the night before... But it's still so hard to just make myself say it."

L stared down at Light, unblinking. "Please, just say it, Light-kun. The suspense is killing me."

Standing up, Light looked into L's eyes. "Ryuzaki..." Stepping around the bench, still holding eye contact, Light said, "I was too afraid to say it last night, but..."

"I wasn't aware you knew the meaning of fear, Light-kun."

"Please, let me speak," Light murmured, walking up to L until L was backed up against the lockers. Light rested his arms against the lockers on either side of L's head, leaning in until their lips were nearly touching, eyes still locked. "I love you," he said softly, before throwing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

If L's eyes went wider when their lips met—if it was possible for him to open them any more—Light didn't see, for he had shut his eyes the instant the kiss was initiated. One could call that a romantic reaction to the fervor of the physicality, or one could suggest that Light was trying very hard to not know just who he was kissing. If the latter was the case, then he was apparently successful, for he soon started to get very into it; moments after the lip-lock began, Light's tongue was licking at L's lips, requesting entrance.

When he at last had to pull away for air, Light was flushed and out of breath. "...I'm sorry... I couldn't control myself..."

"Don't be sorry, Light-kun," said L, rubbing his finger against Light's cheek, "After all, I was the one who said it first, was I not?"

Light laughed happily, the sound ringing through the locker room. He wrapped his arms around L's neck, smiling. "It's funny, how good this feels..."

They looked into each other's eyes, a smoldering gaze that would make most people too embarrassed to stay in the room. The two had no idea that they were thinking the exact same thing:

_This is __**way**__ too corny._

--

"Oi, Light. What are you doing home? You should be out with L," said Ryuk, leaning back on the bed and taking a huge chunk out of his apple. "Fresh lovers should spend time together; get to know each other better. Figure out each other's preferences... Hyuk hyuk hyuk."

Light glared at him. "For a creature that can't have sexual relations, you sure have an annoyingly dirty mind."

"I calls 'em as I sees 'em."

"I won't comment on that," said Light, sighing. A smirk split his face and a low chuckle escaped from his throat. "Things are going smoothly... Soon enough, L will finally trust me, and I'll be able to use him however I wish."

"L doesn't seem like the type of person who can be used to me," said Ryuk, finishing off his apple and wiping the juices from his mouth.

"Please, Ryuk. Emotions can control a person in the most horrible ways... L won't know what hit him."

"What if _you_ actually fall for him?"

Light scoffed. "Yeah right. There is no risk of that, Ryuk, believe me."

_And yet L will fall for you easily,_ thought Ryuk. _Right._

"I will win, L," said Light, looking out the window onto the street. "I **will** win. Nothing stands in my way to winning this battle..."

--

"Misa, are you sure about this?" asked the white, spongy Shinigami.

"Of course! These videos will get me in for sure." The beautiful blonde smiled as the picture on the screen shook with static. "I'll finally meet him... Kira, my savior..."

--


	8. Chapter 8: Disturbing

Finally here! Sorry it took so long! Just so you know, the beginning is all just a summary of where the story is at right now, which is why it's all in italics. I'll mark it when the overview is over. Although most of it is taken from the manga, I added some little things in there, so don't just skip it! Heh heh. Anyway. Enjoy the chapter!

--

"_Hey, Light. Did you send in any videos to Sakura TV?" asked Ryuk, crouching in front of the television. On the monitor, a man was handing a tape to a young woman, with the words "A Message From Kira: Four Terrifying Videos" on a white screen behind him._

"_Huh? No, of course not, Ryuk. Why?" Light turned around, and got a good look at the television. At first his eyes widened, but then his face split into a wide smirk. "Well, well…"_

_As they watched, it became perfectly clear to Light just who they were dealing with. When the screen went black, Light leaned back in his chair, still smirking. Ryuk looked at him, confused. "So, what's this mean, Light?"_

"_It means there's another Death Note in the hands of a human," said Light, his eyes shining. "And that they are a person who supports Kira."_

_--_

_Light was conflicted. He hadn't had a chance to work on his plan with L since the Second Kira had shown up. Right now, he had to focus on finding the Second Kira before L and the team did._

_But even if he did find the Second Kira first, L's suspicion has risen already._

_A few days ago, Light and Matsuda had gone to Aoyama to investigate. The Second Kira had sent a diary, and on the 22__nd__ it read: "Exchanged notebooks with a friend in Aoyama." He never found the Second Kira, but the Second Kira found him, and said so._

_And now, because of a video announcing that Kira had been found, right after he went to Aoyama, L suspected Light even more. Great._

_But all of that shot out of his mind when he heard his sister calling for him. "Light, this girl from your school has brought your notebook!"_

_Light gasped. Notebook..? _

_When he stepped outside, he took a look at the person in front of him, taking mental notes. It was a very small young woman with blonde hair, short and low-cut gothic clothing, and a lot of make-up. Her expression serious, she handed him a notebook, saying, "I think this is yours."_

_The notebook… Light took it, and suddenly there was a large white creature behind the young woman. A Shinigami!_

_Light brought her up to his room, not at all expecting what would happen next._

_--_

"_Make me your girlfriend!"_

_--_

"_This could be bad, Ryuk," Light grumbled, "This could be very bad."_

"_Why? You now have the Shinigami eyes on your side, a cute girl to boot," said Ryuk, taking a bite of his apple._

"_Yes, but she's dangerous. I can't kill her, because Rem will kill __**me**__," said Light, groaning, "And if she shows up right after the Second Kira appears, she'll be suspected immediately. Not to mention, getting another girlfriend right when I'm starting this plan with L… That could complicate things."_

"_Oh yeah." Ryuk chewed slowly, thinking it through. "Well, so much for the plan with L."_

"_What are you saying? Of course it's not off. I need a back-up plan if Misa fails. Also, even if I wanted to back down, I couldn't. It's not very often that a man confesses his 'love' and then breaks up right away," said Light, exasperated. "Try to think from time to time, Ryuk."_

"_...So, what are you going to do?" asked Ryuk, hovering over to the bed and falling down onto the mattress. _

"_I'm going to have to keep Misa from meeting with me too soon or too often, and then find a way to get her to see L's face. All the while, I'll have to keep up the façade with 'dear Ryuzaki'," Light spat out sarcastically._

_Ryuk grinned. Chuckling, he murmured, "Sounds like fun."_

_--_

_The next day, the Second Kira sent out another video saying that they were giving up on finding Kira._

_Light looked at Ryuzaki expectantly. What would he say?_

_L chewed on his thumb thoughtfully. "This video makes me think that Kira and the Second Kira have teamed up…"_

_-- end overview --_

"Hey, Ryuzaki," asked Light that night, when everyone else had left, "Haven't you watched that video enough?" The number of times L had watched the video that the Second Kira had sent that day was currently… 22 times. Yes, Light had been counting.

"Yes, I have," said the black-haired man, staring at the screen, "But I like to make sure I didn't miss anything." Beside him was a fancy mosaic-tiled bowl, filled to the brim with marshmallows. L reached up like a monkey to scratch an itch on his forehead, and then stretched his arm out to grab another marshmallow. Popping it in his mouth, he asked, "Would Cake-kun like a marshmallow?"

Walking towards the coffee machine, Light froze in his tracks. "…What?"

"I asked if Cake-kun would like a marshmallow," L repeated, looking at Light innocently.

Although he kept his poise, Light was horrified. His face stiffly serious, he responded, "…No thank you…" _I won't ask. I won't ask. I won't ask. _"Ryuzaki… Did you just call me 'Cake-kun'?" _I asked._

"I did," said L, grabbing another marshmallow and squishing it gently between his fingers. "I thought that Light-kun needed a pet name, so Light-kun is now Cake-kun." Turning to Light, his lips twitched up into a small, sly smile. "But only when we are alone, if that is what Cake-kun wishes."

"I would appreciate that, yes," said Light, his eye twitching. "Out of curiosity… Why 'Cake-kun'?" He poured himself a tall cup of coffee, the plain white mug and pitch black coffee contrasting each other distinctly. Glowering at the thick liquid, Light drank it quickly. He scowled as his tongue burnt and tossed the mug to the side.

"Because I love cake… and it would be rude to drop the honorific," explained the detective, placing the marshmallow in his mouth carefully and chewing on it thoughtfully. "Not to mention, 'Cake' doesn't sound very good as a name on its own. Adding '-kun' makes it sound more… refined." Pressing the 'rewind' button on the VCR, L began watching the recording once more.

_Refined. Right. And why is it rude to drop an honorific, but perfectly fine to name someone after your favorite fattening food product? Especially when you call them that name in such a dispassionate way... _"If you wish to call me that… I guess I can't stop you," said Light, coughing into his fist nervously. He became aware of his cheeks turning slightly pink, and realized he was acting like Takada. He hastily threw his hands to his sides and regained his composure. "Should I give you a name as well, Ryuzaki?"

"No. That's just silly."

Light's left eye was twitching like crazy at this point. Turning away to hide it, Light asked, "Well, are you done watching that video? I can put it away for you if you want."

"You know where to put it, Cake-kun?" asked L, turning to look at him with his wide eyes. As he looked at Light, he was sticking toothpicks into marshmallows, creating a marshmallow sculpture. The video flickered with static, lighting up the older man's face eerily.

All in all, it was a rather ridiculous scene to witness.

"I just can't take this guy seriously," said Ryuk, "Don't you agree… _Cake-kun_?"

It was very frustrating to have to ignore Ryuk, but Light somehow managed, even through the Shinigami's maniacal laughter. "Yes, I think I know where. In the adjoining room, in that large box on the rolling stand, correct?" asked the brunette, his expression stoic.

"Yes, that's the one, Cake-kun," said L, nodding. He stuck a marshmallow on top of two others, observing it carefully. When it seemed stable, he began working on another stack, which Light assumed would be either an arm or a leg. Raising the toothpicks and lumps of sugar into the air, L's work went slowly and steadily.

"Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk. He says it so seriously," said Ryuk, grinning as far as his large lips would stretch. "Cake-kun, Cake-kun, Cake-kun… hyuk, hyuk, hyuk…"

Realizing that L wasn't going to get the tape out by himself, Light walked over and hit the eject button. Pulling out the tape, he had a moment when L couldn't see his face. He used that moment to glare as menacingly as he possibly could in Ryuk's direction. It made no difference; Ryuk continued to laugh and sing a little song to himself.

"Cake-kun, Cake-kun, Cake-kun…"

"Are you all right, Cake-kun?" asked L, noticing Light had a rather tight grip on the tape.

"Yes… fine," Light ground out, sounding as calm as he could manage, loosening his hold on the cassette. _This Shinigami pisses me off… _Turning around, Light smiled at L. "Don't worry about me."

L smiled back, a crooked, devilish grin, and Light held in a small shudder. In his opinion, L and smiles did not mix. Walking into the other room, Light called out, "I think I'll watch some of these other tapes while I'm in here, Ryuzaki. I want to refresh my memory on some things." Not that his memory was ever flawed, but it would work for an excuse.

"All right, Cake-kun. First, could you bring me video 2-A?" L called back, sticking the legs into his marshmallow sculpture. He then attached a marshmallow to the bottom of each leg horizontally, for feet.

"What a ridiculous man," Ryuk commented, still humming his little song to himself. "Cake-kun… hyuk, hyuk…"

The room was dark, and Light quickly flipped the on switch for the lamps. As they illuminated the room, a brightly colored couch and a television stand with a box of video tapes underneath it became visible. Grabbing the video that L had asked for, the college student scanned the box for the one he wanted. Unsuccessful, he took video 2-A back to L, saying, "Here's the one you wanted, Ryuzaki."

"Thank you, Cake-kun," the older man responded, taking the video between his fingers carefully and putting it into the machine. When the machine came to life, footage of a large bedroom with a single occupant appeared onscreen. As Light looked on, he realized that the one videocassette he had been looking for was what L was watching at that very moment.

"Hey, look, Lighto… It's you," said Ryuk, grinning.

Face growing hot, Light reluctantly observed the video with a God of Death chuckling alongside him and his one true enemy watching with rapt attention.

"_**Ah… nn…"**_

_Oh God._

"_**Ryu… ah… don't…"**_

_That actually happened._

"_**Don't stop… ryu…"**_

Watching in horror, Light couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. He was suddenly struck by a thought: _Why did L want to watch this?_

"Cake-kun," said L, not taking his eyes off of the television, "I thought you had some videos to look over…" Although he looked unaffected by the obvious sexual suggestion of the sounds coming from the recorded Light on the television, the detective definitely seemed fascinated; his finger to his mouth and his eyes open wide, as though he didn't want a single detail to pass unnoticed.

"Um… I changed my mind, Ryuzaki…" Light forced himself to look down, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing, even if L wasn't looking. "Why are you watching this?" he asked, looking up at L with his chin still turned downward.

The video had ended when Light stopped sleep talking, so L hit the rewind button. As the tape whirled inside the VCR, L turned to Light. "Cake-kun… I remember that you promised me something…"

Having returned to his normal complexion, Light looked up all the way. "Did I?"

"Yes, just the other day…" L stood up and went around the couch, keeping eye contact. "I believe you promised me… a slice of cake…"

Light instantly got the meaning behind this, as did Ryuk. While Ryuk burst out laughing, Light, much to his chagrin, turned bright red. _Why am I blushing so damn much?! _

"R-ryuzaki," Light murmured, taking a step back instinctively. He stopped himself, realizing that he would have to do this. Pushing away all thoughts of repulsion, he prepared himself for what was going to happen.

"Cake-kun…" L stepped towards Light, putting his hands on the young man's shoulders and kissing him on the forehead. "Please, relax…" He ran his hands over Light's chest, letting them rest on the brunette's hips. Pulling him in closer, L licked and nipped at Light's neck, seemingly not bothered by Light's unresponsive state.

L fumbled slightly, and the two fell backwards, Light's back hitting the wall. Not pausing, the black-haired man lifted his head and pressed his lips against the younger man's. Gasping, Light's lips parted, and L proceeded to invade the cavity of the brunette's mouth with his tongue. Choking at the extraordinarily sweet taste, Light did his best to counter, rubbing his tongue against L's own with fierceness but not quite as heatedly.

When L moved on to unbuttoning Light's shirt and sucking and licking Light's shoulder, near the end of his neck, Light threw up a little in his mouth. Staring at everything but L, his surroundings suddenly became clearer. The VCR making a horrifying squealing sound as the tape rewound, Ryuk watching with a wicked leer, and the couches lining the room as though they were gathering for some purpose. _Hm. No bed in the whole place… And I never realized how tacky this color scheme is…_ He gasped as L bit down in a sensitive spot, and he bit his lip to hold in a reluctant moan. _Good God… I'm practically being devoured…_ _L doesn't seem like the type to do this type of thing so fervently… _As much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to feel very nervous about the whole situation.

_I have to do this…_

In the background, the video finally stopped rewinding and started playing again.

_I have to do this…_

His voice came back on, the volume turned low, but the sound still perfectly clear.

_I have to do this…_

"_**Ah… nn…"**_

_I can't do this._

"R-ryuzaki." Light's voice was shaky, but stern. He didn't want his protest to be mistaken for a moan of sorts.

"Hm? Yes, Cake-kun?" asked L, looking up into his eyes. He didn't look affected by what he had been doing at all.

"I…" There were three reasons why Light couldn't do this. If he kept L waiting, L would become impatient, and more emotional. Light would get closer to his goal. For another thing, there was Ryuk. Light was no exhibitionist, especially when the one watching was a God of Death who couldn't stop laughing at L's 'pet name'. But most importantly… was the voice.

"_**Ryu… ah… don't…"**_

He was _not_ going to go through with something like this…

"_**Don't stop… ryu…"**_

…While constantly being reminded of _that_.

"I can't do this."

--

"That was disappointing," said Ryuk, sighing. He snickered. "Cake-kun. Hyuk, hyuk."

Light scowled as he examined the end results of the night. The mirror reflected his glare, showing him a very tired and very angry young man holding his shirt open in order to scrutinize the damage. "You have _got_ to be kidding…" On his shoulder, there was a horrifyingly large hickey. "I'll have to wear makeup over this for a week…"

"You have makeup?" asked Ryuk. _That would explain the long eyelashes…_

"Sister, Ryuk," said Light, sighing. He began to put on his pajamas, tossing his clothes on the bed angrily.

"Whoa, Lighto. Not going to write any names down?" asked Ryuk, flying over to the bed and laying down.

"I have some written up to three weeks from now, remember? I already have today covered," Light replied, pulling on his shirt. When he was fully dressed, he tossed his dirty clothes in the laundry hamper and began to brush his teeth.

"You usually write some anyway, though."

After spitting in the sink, Light walked back into his bedroom. "I'm not feeling up to it," he muttered, glaring at how Ryuk was hogging the bed before getting under the covers. "That was disturbing…" He shuddered and instinctively clutched the covers tighter to himself. "Stop talking to me and go to sleep."

"'Night, Cake-kun."

"…You really bother me sometimes, Ryuk."

--

L sighed as he put the finishing touches on his sculpture. Pouring some caramel sauce on the head and using chocolate to draw on a face, it was done. Raising it above himself, he admired his work

He now had a complete marshmallow replica of Light.

"Hm… I really did want a piece of Cake-kun tonight... I am only human, after all," L murmured, laying the creation on the pile of marshmallows. He pushed the bowl aside and rested his chin on his knee. "Now I must admit, I'm a little frustrated…"

Light had seemed completely sincere for once, when he told L that he couldn't do it. But then he lost the sincerity when he had said it was 'too soon'. That was what bugged L the most. What it most likely meant was that Light wasn't attracted to L that way in the least.

Pressing the power button, the TV screen flicked off and left the man in total darkness, besides the light coming from the adjacent room. "Have I made any progress at all?" L muttered, chewing on his thumb. "Light-kun, you've won this round…"

--

Thanks to evhein for betaing, and for coming up with the idea for 'Cake-kun' and 'slice of cake'. You've been a great help, thanks a million! )

Reviews are appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9: Jealousy

Light walked home from school, deep in thought. Ryuk walked beside him, actually not griping about getting an apple for once, but instead getting a head start on his new hobby—making fun of Light.

"So, Cake-kun," said Ryuk, grinning. "What do you taste like? I've only eaten apples, and I tried an apple pie once… But no cake. What flavor?"

Ignoring him, Light tried to think about his current situation. Ryuk continued chattering.

"Vanilla, I bet. That guy seems to like vanilla, doesn't he? He just doesn't seem like a chocolate guy to me," said Ryuk, chuckling. "So you must be vanilla, because you're obviously his favorite snack, hyuk hyuk hyuk…"

"Be quiet, Ryuk," Light hissed angrily.

Ryuk shut up, but he kept humming the song he had made up the night before. It was infuriating, but Light managed to ignore him and went back to thinking. At the moment, he was thinking about Misa.

_She's not the smartest, or the most serious,_ he thought, _And she's annoying… But at least she seems like the type who can—_

"LIGHT!" came a high-pitched shout. All of a sudden, Misa jumped in front of him, Rem right behind her.

The man's eyebrow twitched, his eyes darkening.

_Follow… orders…_

"I just couldn't wait a few weeks," said Misa, smiling brightly, "So I came to see you!"

Light's lip threatened to twitch into a sneer.

_I don't think I've ever wanted to punch a girl this much before…_

--

Rem, Misa, and Light were gathered around the desk in Light's room, Ryuk watching on the bed and chewing on an apple. Ryuk chuckled as things started to get dramatic.

_This is getting so interesting,_ he thought, taking another bite of the juicy fruit.

Rem turned to Light and began to speak. "Because it's what Misa wants, I'll kill L for you… Since I don't care about you, it won't kill me if his death increases your lifespan."

Light glanced up at the female Shinigami in shock. "What..?"

_L will die… this easily…_

He stepped away, putting a hand on the desk for support as he thought it over.

_But that means…_

As the reality crashed down on him, his shoulders suddenly seemed to weigh a ton.

"I've been doing all this for nothing," he muttered angrily, running a hand through his hair.

Misa cocked her head to the side, confused. "What? What have you been doing, Light?"

Rem looked at him curiously. What steps had he already taken?

"Oh, um… Nothing, Misa," said Light standing up straight. "Don't worry about it."

Ryuk chuckled. "Yeah, nothing. Though they did have a cake-eating contest once. Hyuk hyuk hyuk…"

Light glared at him. Misa gasped happily.

"L and Kira are friends?" she said excitedly. "That's so cool!"

"I've been working to get information out of him," Light growled, "He means nothing to me."

"Hyuk hyuk… Aww, he'll be heartbroken," said Ryuk, enjoying this immensely. He continued laughing, finishing off the rest of his apple in one gulp. "Hyuk hyuk hyuk…"

--

As they walked home together under the cherry blossom trees, Light and Takada talked together quietly. Girls ran by, chattering and giggling, hurrying to get home; some guys glared at Light jealously. They were ignored.

"So, Yagami-kun… How have you been lately?" asked Takada, turning to him and smiling sweetly.

"I've been wonderful, Takada… After all, I'm going out with Miss To-Oh," said Light, smirking jokingly.

Takada blushed and coughed into her fist, her characteristic gesture. "That nickname… I really dislike it."

Light laughed warmly.

_She's so proud… it's clear she really likes it._

"Yagami-kun, over here," came a greeting from nearby, low and monotonic. Light froze and turned to look at the person who had called for him.

It was L, sitting on a bench with his knees pulled to his chest. The man smiled crookedly up at him and Takada. "Hello, Yagami-kun, Takada-san."

Light glanced at Takada. "Takada… May I have a moment with Ryuga-kun, alone? I need to speak with him."

She looked a little hurt, but hid it quickly. Takada nodded and murmured, "Oh… uh… Sure, Yagami-kun." She waved faintly and walked away.

"Are you sure that was all right, Yagami-kun?" asked L, standing up and putting a finger to his mouth.

"Don't mind her. What is it?" asked Light, looking at him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Can't a friend say hello to a friend, Yagami-kun?" asked the black-haired man, smiling again. Light's skin crawled at the sight.

Light looked away and muttered, "You left quite a mark on me the other night, Ryuga." He kept his voice down, as if they were being watched.

"Oh? I'm sorry," said L, his expression not changing. "You seem to have covered it up well, though, Yagami-kun."

The pair stood in silence. L stared at Light, and Light looked anywhere else.

"So what do you want?" Light finally asked.

A leaf falling from the trees around them landed in Light's hair. L reached up and ran his fingers through Light's silky brown locks, pulling it out gently.

"Of course, I can only tell you this because you are _not_ Kira," said L, crunching the leaf between his fingers and tossing the pieces to the ground. "I have told Yagami-san, the rest of the investigation team, and the other L's, that if I die in the next few days, Light Yagami is Kira."

Light's eyes shot open, and he turned to stare at the detective in shock.

L smiled as if to say, 'no hard feelings'. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? There are many people calling themselves L. Think of L as a sort of investigation team."

_That's a total bluff,_ thought Light. _He's the only one… And he can only tell me I'll be Kira if he dies because I'm not Kira? That's completely contradictory! Damn it, I __**hate**__ this guy…_

L looked into his eyes challengingly. Light could practically hear his thoughts: _Kill me, and you die, Light Yagami… But you've got nothing to worry about, because you say you're not Kira, and you wouldn't lie to me, would you?_ He scowled, as if the words in his head were actually coming from L's mouth.

Suddenly, a cry cut through the air; "Light!"

_Oh god,_ thought Light, whipping his head to where the sound had come from. _She wouldn't… She couldn't!_

"Hey, Light!" said Misa, smiling from ear to ear. Wearing a short, black gothic dress and lots of makeup, she looked the very picture of the model she was. "There was a shoot nearby, so I came to see you! Your school is even nicer than you said!"

_You idiot! Coming here now…_

Light glanced to L nervously. L looked slightly in awe, lips pointed up at the ends in a subtle smile, his finger to his lips.

"Oh, is this a friend of yours, Light?" asked Misa, walking over to them. "He's really unique and cool! Hi, I'm Misa Amane!"

"Ryuga Hideki," said L.

Light's eyes widened with realization.

_Misa… Misa can see his name!_ As it dawned on him, Misa seemed to glow with a new worth.

"Huh? Ryuga Hideki?" asked Misa, confused.

_Oh crud. Misa, don't, you moron…_

Light grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him, smiling. "Yeah, it's the same as the idol. Isn't that weird, Misa? Ha ha…"

_Please get it, please get it…_

After a moment of confusion, Misa nodded. "Yeah…"

Light sighed inside, relieved. _She didn't reveal anything…_

"So this is your girlfriend, Yagami-kun?" asked L. His sly smile twitched slightly. Looking at Misa, his stare seemed to be trying to strike the girl's very soul. "I'm so jealous…"

Misa didn't seem to notice, but Light raised an eyebrow.

_Could he honestly be..?_

"I'm a huge fan of your work, Amane-san," L continued, his lips still twitching.

"Please, call me Misa!" Misa exclaimed happily. Hearing her shout, people started gathering around.

"Hey, it's Misa-Misa!"

"What? No way!"

"Oh my God, it's her!"

"She's so cute! I saw her on a magazine!"

"Wow, I'm getting so popular!" Laughing, Misa smiled and waved at everyone who came.

Light felt sweat roll down his cheek. _Why does everyone I know attract attention?_

Suddenly, Misa shrieked. "Who just touched my butt?!"

"Oh, no! This is horrible!" said L, quickly going back in front of Misa from his previous position behind her. "I will start an investigation and find the culprit at once!"

People around them chuckled nervously.

Misa giggled. "You're funny, Ryuga!" Her face fell when a screechy voice called her name.

"Miss Amane!"

"Oh… It's my manager," said Misa, sounding disappointed.

An old woman in a fashionable dress ran through the crowd and grabbed Misa by the arm. "Miss Amane, I've told you not to skip any more shoots. Come now, you're late…" She began to pull Misa away, and people started leaving.

Misa waved back at the two as she left. "Bye, Light! See you later!" She shrieked as her manager gave another tug, making her trip over her heels. With a final wave, she shouted, "We should go out soon!"

Light waved back halfheartedly. L nodded goodbye to her, using his other hand in his pocket to, unbeknownst to Light, press a button on a small remote that sent a signal to a nearby team of police officers.

Turning around, Light smiled slyly at L. "Well, see you later, Ryuga…" _As soon as I'm a decent distance away, I'll call Misa and get his name… See you later, Ryuga… Ryuzaki… _

L smiled back, expression equally sly. "Yes, farewell, Yagami-kun." He gave the impression that he was thinking of something cunning, and it made Light wary for a moment; but the he shrugged it off and walked away.

_I'm glad I get to kill you myself, Ryuga,_ thought Light, pulling out the cell phone Misa had given him. After dialing the number, Light's hands shook with excitement as he put the phone to his ear.

Behind him, a ringtone started blaring.

L pulled the pink cell phone out of his pocket, looking at the Caller I.D. As he read it, he thought, _He acted much more quickly than I had imagined… But Light-kun is not likely to speak without confirming who is on the other line first…_

"… _when the two of us are together. Can't be sad when I'm looking into your inviting eyes… That guy is my CANDY BAB_—click."

"Hello?" asked L, holding the phone in the air next to his ear.

Light gasped. _When did he...?_

"Hello?" L asked again, pretending he didn't know who it was.

Light's eyes darkened as he turned around. He glared straight at L's back, saying, "That isn't funny, Ryuga…"

"Oh, Yagami-kun," said L, voice serious. "How kind of you to call me. This must be about last night. We never did finish; although you didn't seem like the type to want to do these things over the phone…"

"That isn't funny either," Light growled, hanging up the phone and walking towards the detective.

"My apologies, Light-kun," said L, turning around to face Light. He didn't look apologetic in the least. Putting the phone down from his ear and into his pocket, he said, "It seems someone dropped this phone in the crowd…"

"Give it to me, it's Misa's," said Light, holding out his hand. "I'll give it back to her later."

Handing the phone to Light, L stuck his hands back in his pockets. "Well, goodbye now, Yagami-kun."

Light nodded curtly. "Yeah. Bye."

Before Light could walk away, another phone rang. L pulled out a sleek grey phone, putting it to his ear in the same fashion as before. "Hello? Oh, so you did it. Good."

Putting the phone away, L turned to Light, his eyes seeming to gleam with triumph.

Light grew uneasy. "What was that about, Ryuga?"

"Yagami-kun," said L with a cautious tone. Somehow, it still sounded like he was mocking the other man. "I'm afraid that your girlfriend, Misa-san, has just been arrested on suspicion of being the Second Kira."

When Light didn't speak, L continued explaining. "Cat hair and fabric matching that found on the Sakura TV tapes were discovered in Misa-san's room. She's being taken to a private facility to be questioned," said L, raising his thumb to his mouth and chewing on it.

Light stared at him, stunned speechless.

_How long had he suspected her?_

L spoke again. "Are you all right, Light-kun? It must be nerve-racking, finding out that your girlfriend has been arrested on suspicion of being the Second Kira…"

_God damn it, it's like he's trying to cheer me up,_ thought Light, glaring at L openly.

L smiled. "It's too bad," he muttered, looking somewhere between sympathetic and smug. "Now you probably won't be able to see her very often…"

With that, L turned and left, leaving Light to his shock and horror.

--

Few! Finally. ; Had to rewrite this, because I messed up the first time... I hope it's satasfactory!

Reviews please!


	10. Chapter 10: Captive

"Misa has given up possession of the Death Note," said Rem as she walked into Light's room through the wall.

"What?" asked Light, getting up from his chair, where he had been thinking over his situation.

"As I said, Misa has given up possession of the Death Note," said Rem, handing the tattered notebook to Light. "She passed ownership to you."

Light took the notebook carefully, looking at the Shinigami writing on the cover. As he stared at it, a plan started to form in his mind—ownership, Shinigami, keywords, memory...

He looked up at Rem, realizing something. "Memory..."

"Yes," said Rem, nodding. "She no longer remembers anything about the Death Note."

--

"Misa Amane," said L, talking into the microphone in front of him. "What can you tell us about Kira?"

On the screen was Misa, tied up so there was no way for her to move. Her arms in a straight jacket, her eyes covered with a blindfold, her legs latched to the board which held her in place; all a bit extreme, but all very necessary—at least, according to what the investigation team knew.

"I keep telling you, all I know is that he killed the burglar who killed my parents," said Misa, tiredly rolling her head back. "Please, at least bring me a change of clothes... You know where I live, don't you? Go get me some new clothes..." When L didn't respond, she started shaking. Tears soaked the blindfold as they ran down her cheeks. "Please, please... Then, then at least let me use the bathroom!"

L pressed the button that turned on his microphone. "You just used the bathroom, Amane," he said coldly.

"Come on, you'll get to see me pee. Isn't that what you want?" she sobbed. "You pervert!!"

L froze. _I'm... a pervert..?_

He thought it over for a minute.

_Well, actually, when you consider the recent events with Light-kun... I __**am**__ a bit of a pervert, aren't I?_

Shrugging to himself, he prepared to ask another question.

Suddenly, the door opened. The team stopped talking and turned to the person who had entered.

"Light-kun," said Matsuda, surprised.

"Ryuzaki," said Light, walking past the other team members and straight to L. "I need to speak with you."

"Alone?" asked L, putting his thumb to his mouth and cocking his head to the side innocently.

"No." Light shook his head. He looked to the side nervously, grabbing his right arm with his left hand. "This is... this is about Kira."

The others in the room looked at each curiously. What would they talk about if they were alone?

"What is it, Light-kun?" asked L, turning back around to look at the screen, but still giving Light his full attention. He started chewing on his thumb, his eyes narrowing. _What are you going to do, Light-kun? What is your plan?_

Light took a deep breath, and then looked straight at L, his arms back at his sides. "I think I might be Kira."

The room flew into a panic. Soichiro stepped forward first, waving his hands in the air violently. "L-Light! Don't be ridiculous!"

Gesturing for his dad to stop, Light looked to the ground shamefully. "No, Dad. I've thought it through, and Ryuzaki's logic makes sense... I am the most suspicious out of everyone." He looked at his hands shakily, as if they were covered in blood. "So, even if I am unaware of it... Maybe I am Kira... Some part of me I don't know about..."

_That's ridiculous,_ L thought angrily. _You are not unaware of it. You are Kira!_

"Maybe," Light muttered, looking up again, "In my sleep, or something..."

"B-but... Light-kun... We set up cameras," Matsuda said hurriedly, "We watched you for three days, your sleep patterns were normal..."

_Besides some interjections,_ L couldn't help thinking.

Light's eyes widened. "Really? You went that far, Ryuzaki?"

_As you obviously know by now, Light-kun, yes._

Looking confused, Light murmured, "Then... maybe I'm not really Kira?"

"No," said Aizawa, his eyes dark.

Soichiro, who had been shocked silent, looked at Aizawa with shaky eyes. "A-Aizawa..."

"We only set up cameras in your house," Aizawa continued. "We didn't watch you when you went outside..."

"Th-then, I could be Kira!" Light exclaimed. "Ryuzaki... What should we..?"

"I will set up a cell for you, Light-kun," said L nonchalantly. "If the killings stop while you are imprisoned, then you are Kira."

"R-Ryuzaki," muttered Soichiro.

Light nodded. "I understand, Ryuzaki... I'm ready."

_I know you are,_ thought L. _But what are you ready to do?_

Soichiro looked to the ground, horrified. "My son… Not my son…"

_Perhaps I should get one more cell ready,_ thought L, glancing at Soichiro.

"When will I go, Ryuzaki?" asked Light, his eyes blank.

L turned around on his chair, looking into Light's eyes challengingly. "Now."

_I'm on to you…_

--

Sitting in his cell with his hands chained behind his back, Light thought back on his plan to make sure everything was right.

One Death Note was buried in a forest somewhere, and Rem was taking the other Death Note for some poor sap somewhere else. All he had to do was say the keywords at the right time, and everything would fall into place.

_--flashback—_

Gathered around the tree which the Death Note was buried underneath, Light turned to Ryuk. Ryuk perked up, ready for his instructions.

"Ryuk," said Light, "The next time I say, 'get rid of it', no matter the context, assume I'm talking about the notebook. Understood?"

Ryuk grinned. "Got it."

_--end flashback—_

Yes, everything was perfect. No problems whatsoever…

"Hey, Light," said Ryuk, sitting next to him on the ground, "I'm bored."

Glaring at Ryuk discreetly, Light mentally sneered. _Shinigami have absolutely no patience... Or at least, this one doesn't._

Ryuk was silent again, just looking around the room. Light stared into space, going through mathematical equations in his mind to keep himself from getting too bored. Not being that interested in thinking, Ryuk couldn't find anything to entertain himself with.

Well, there was always his hobby.

"Remember that night, when you looked up those doujins?" asked Ryuk, glancing at the man next to him.

Light didn't move.

_You know I can't respond, Ryuk… Are you taking advantage of that?_

"Well, while you were asleep," Ryuk continued, "I read them. There are a lot of them, you know. Took me about a week to read them all."

Ryuk smirked when Light twitched.

Catching himself before he looked at Ryuk, Light thought, _Oh, come on… Tell me he's not going to…_

"That beaver one was pretty funny, really. And well thought out, as weird as it was. I think it was made by a genius on crack, hyuk," said Ryuk, chuckling. "Kira turned out to be a bunch of beavers all over the world, working together to get rid of the worst of the humans. They'd fly around on balloons, so they wouldn't leave evidence, and they'd use peashooters to shoot poison darts into the criminals' necks…"

_Just shut up, Ryuk,_ thought Light, _Just stop talking… _

"You know what L was?" Ryuk said, glancing at Light and grinning. "L was a _ferret_."

_I didn't need to know that… Now I'll have that in my head…_

Light tried desperately to push the image of L as a ferret out of his mind, but it just kept attacking his brain. It was horrifying.

"They had this vicious battle in the end. Pretty good action scene, considering it was a bunch of beavers versus a ferret. The ferret had mad kung fu skills," said Ryuk, looking up to the ceiling as he remembered it. "But the Kira Beavers won. The ferret wasn't strong enough…"

A ferret using kung fu to stop a mass wave of beavers wearing Kira hats flooded Light's brain. He wanted to shake his head, in a desperate attempt to shake the thoughts away, but he couldn't. He just had to sit through it.

"Then there was that one with the blonde guy. I'm not into human males, but the sex scenes were actually pretty hot," Ryuk continued. "Maybe because the bottom guy looked like a girl. Anyway, it started out with that one page you clicked on, where the blonde guy was doing XXX to the brunette guy's XXX…"

Light felt dread come over him.

_Oh God…_

--

**One Week Later**

"…And that's how L did it. It was pretty kinky," Ryuk said, finishing his vivid description of another doujinshi. "Oh, hey, I just remembered another part of that one I told you about yesterday, Kira Kira Lovely…"

Taking another deep breath, trying futilely to relieve his stress, Light continued his mental mantra.

_Make it stop… Make it stop…_

Light looked up when L's synthetic voice came over the speaker.

"Light-kun," said L, the alien-like synthetic voice difficult to understand. "It's only been a week now. Are you all right?"

_Now's my chance!_

"Yeah. I must look pretty bad in here, but," Light muttered, sighing, "This pride; I'll have to... _get rid of it_."

"…He didn't use a whip, he used a… oh." Ryuk stopped talking and hopped up happily. "Okee-dokee!" He turned away from Light, phasing through the wall. "Bye-bye, Cake-kun."

After a minute, Light's narrowed eyes suddenly went wide. His eyes gleamed with a new sense of purity and confusion.

_What am I doing here?_

--

Misa Amane and Light Yagami, held on suspicion of being Kira one and two. Soichiro Yagami, held on request, in order to stop himself from doing anything rash if Light was really Kira. Three people, lying in their cells; two for being murderers, and one to make sure he didn't become one along with them. L watched carefully, wondering when one of the Kiras would slip up.

Chewing on his thumb thoughtfully, L twitched to attention as Light's expression suddenly changed.

_What the..?_

For some reason, Light had changed from an aura of evil and anger to doe-eyed innocence. L was going to comment on it, but Light's voice stopped him.

"Ryuzaki! I just realized... this is pointless! And that's because... I'm not Kira! Let me out of here!"

Standing behind L, Matsuda raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

L held down his confusion as he pressed the button for the microphone. "I can't do that, Light-kun. I promised you I wouldn't let you out until you were cleared, and no criminals have been killed since you were imprisoned."

"C'mon, Ryuzaki," said Light, leaning forward on the floor and staring straight into the camera. "Do you honestly think Kira could commit his murders without being aware of it?"

"I also agree that is impossible," said L, "But I believe you are just hiding the fact that you are Kira."

"No! Do I really look like that type of person?" yelled Light. "Zoom in or whatever and look into my eyes! Are these the eyes of someone who's lying?"

L reached over and pressed the 'zoom in' button. Light's amber eyes shone on the screen.

"Pretty eyes," Matsuda muttered. "But this is weird. Light is going against what he said before and not making any sense."

_Agreed,_ thought L. _On both points. I never noticed before, Light-kun has very beautiful eyes... Anyway._

Pressing the button to talk to Misa, L said, "Amane. What do you know about Kira?"

Misa sighed. "This again? Kira's a hero. He killed the guy who murdered my parents."

L chewed on his lip, confused for the first time in his life.

_What the heck is going on?_

--

In his cell, Light wondered if he should look away from the camera now. Had L looked into his eyes yet? It was starting to get uncomfortable to look up at this angle…

_Hm… What if L was a ferret?_ Light shook his head violently, shocked by the thought that had just flashed through his head. _Where the hell did that come from?_


	11. Chapter 11: Craving

**Confinement, Day Thirteen**

"Hm... geh..."

L snapped his gaze to Light. The young man was making odd noises. Was he waking up?

Light's face was peaceful, and his chest moved up and down in soft, slow breaths. His brown hair fell over his eyes as he rested on the small cot. His lips moved just slightly as he mumbled things too soft for L to hear.

No, he was still asleep.

Was he...?

Inching closer to the screen, L hugged his knees a little closer to his chest. It was almost like a child watching his favorite television show.

"Mm... ba..."

_Ba? _L tilted his head in curiosity. _What could he be saying?_

Light twitched, his head turning up. "Beh..."

_Beh? Bad? Bad... _A million scenes flashed in front of L's eyes. His brain started to fuzz over, and he inched even closer to the screen, his toes curling over the edge of the chair. He leaned forward, wanting to hear every word.

'_I've been a bad boy, L... Punish me... Yes, yes, punish me more!'_

"Beh..." Light rolled over and muttered, "Beavers..."

L fell off of his chair, hitting his head on the stand holding up the monitor. He sat up and clutched his forehead, his face as blank as ever. He gracefully got back onto the chair, as if nothing happened.

_That was disappointing..._

Light groaned in his sleep, curling in on himself. "Kung... beavers..."

--

**Confinement, Day Fourteen**

It was the next night, and Light was talking in his sleep again. Careful not to get as close as last time, L listened vigilantly.

"Mm… Nn…" Light grimaced in his sleep, tossing and turning.

L frowned. A nightmare?

"No," Light murmured, "No…"

_A bad experience?_ thought L, _A dark past?_

"Don't want… to hear it," Light muttered, twisting on the cot, "Stop… telling me…" After another minute, Light calmed down and settled into a peaceful sleep.

Sighing, L sat back in his chair. _It seems to have just been a bad dream…Nothing to worry about. _He drummed his fingers on his knees, scowling. _But his dreams have changed so drastically..._

"Light-kun… Why won't you dream about me?" he asked the sleeping boy, chewing his lip. "Why won't you say my name?"

--

**Confinement, Day 15**

"What the hell is going on?" yelled Matsuda, stomping into the room with a newspaper in his hand. He walked up to Aizawa, shoving the newspaper in the man's face. "Last night, two week's worth of criminals were killed at once!"

Aizawa glared at Matsuda and pushed the newspaper away. "Yeah, Kira is back."

"Have you guys told the chief yet?" asked Matsuda, looking towards L and the monitors.

"No," said Aizawa, watching as Matsuda walked over to the screen.

Pressing the button for speaking to Soichiro, Matsuda said excitedly, "Chief! Kira has started killing again!"

"What?" Soichiro stood up from his seat on a folding chair in the middle of his cell. He turned to the camera, incredulous. "Really?"

"Kira was just taking a break," said Matsuda, grinning, "He's started punishing criminals again!"

"Then... my son... I know I shouldn't be glad," said Soichiro, mouth agape, "With people dying and all, but my son..." His face fell. "No... It's Ryuzaki. He'll never clear him..."

Matsuda and Aizawa glanced at L. L looked at the two of them, then looked away. "Um..." He looked back to the screen. "He's in the grey..."

"Didja hear that, chief?" asked Matsuda, grinning like an idiot.

"Yeah, he was 'definitely guilty' just the other day... Thank god," said Soichiro, going back to sit on his chair, smiling to himself.

Matsuda let go of the button, then made a move to press Light's. "Now let's tell Light!"

"Matsuda!" shouted L, grabbing Matsuda's wrist with lightning speed just before he hit the button. "I mean, Matsuda-san! Wait!" Glancing sideways at the man, he muttered, "Please, don't tell Light-kun."

"Huh?" Matsuda moved away from the monitor, confused.

L pressed the button for Light's cell, and said, "Ca—Light-kun. It's been two weeks without any criminals dying. Why don't you just confess?"

"What? No, Ryuzaki," Light yelled desperately, "I keep telling you, I'm not Kira!"

Matsuda pulled Aizawa aside, whispering, "Wow, Ryuzaki is pretty harsh."

"Yeah," Aizawa agreed, nodding. "And is it just me, or..." He glanced at the black-haired detective nervously. "...Does he seem a little... I dunno... Bitter?"

"Ryuzaki? Bitter?" Matsuda glanced at L, who was having an argument with Light over his innocence. "Actually, yeah, he does... Weird."

"Yeah," Aizawa muttered, looking at L suspiciously. "...Weird."

--

That night, L was alone. Alone with the monitors.

Outside, the world was dark and quiet. It seemed like the whole city was asleep. In their cells, the three prisoners were also sleeping, their faces twisting as they slept restlessly, making their stress clear to the world.

Except for Light.

Tonight, Light was serene.

L had heard of those who were 'angelic sleepers', looking divine in their sleep and such, but he had never seen one before. Not that he saw sleeping faces that often. But Light's face was so tranquil, so lovely... Unheard of beauty, there in that cell, in the form of perhaps the most violent and dangerous mass-murderer in the history of the world.

It was infuriating.

And intoxicating.

L stood up from his chair and left the hotel room.

--

"...kun..."

Light's brows furrowed. What was that noise?

"...kun."

He groaned and turned over. Why wouldn't the noise go away?

"Cake-kun..."

"Cake...?" Light mumbled, his eyes opening sleepily. "Cake... Ryuzaki?" He pushed himself up and turned towards the door of his cell.

L was sitting on the floor, hands on the bars, staring in at him. Light shivered.

"Ryuzaki?" Light muttered, getting up all the way and stretching the best he could with his hands behind his back. "What are you doin' here? Are you going to let me out now?"

"No, Cake-kun," said L, shaking his head. "I'm not."

L stood up and opened the keypad for the electric lock.

"Huh? Dang," Light mumbled, blinking. "...Cake-kun? Don't call me..." Light stopped, watching L warily. "Ryuzaki?"

Closing the door behind him, L started walking over to Light. His gaze seemed oddly predatory. Light was suddenly awake, getting up off of the floor, as though he were preparing to run or attack.

"Relax, Cake-kun," L murmured, putting his arms on either side of Light's head and pinning him to the wall. He leaned in, his nose brushing against Light's cheek, his lips just barely touching the younger's own as he spoke. "It's nothing new..."

Light's eyes shot open as L kissed him.

"Mmph!" he protested, trying to squirm away, but L didn't provide any openings.

Pushing his tongue forcefully into Light's mouth, L started rubbing his hips against the brunette, feeling Light's leg shift against his thigh...

_**BAM!**_

_HOLY MOTHER OF—_

L fell to the ground, clutching the place between his legs that was currently in unimaginable pain.

"C... Cake-kun," L muttered, sweat dripping down his forehead. "That was entirely unnecessary..."

"What the hell? Unnecessary?!" Light yelled, glaring at L. "You were freaking _raping_ me!"

"No, I wasn't, Cake-kun," L grunted, pulling his legs in and cringing. "We have done that before, and it was once initiated by _you_..."

Light flushed, remembering. "W-well... I don't really know what was wrong with me then." He looked away, scowling. "I don't even remember everything about it..."

The pain turning into a dull ache, L managed to look up at Light. "You said you loved me, Cake-kun."

_It was an obvious lie, but do you at least remember it?_

His head snapping towards L, Light looked horrified. "When the _hell_ did I say that?!"

Something about the way Light said that hurt. L blinked, surprised at himself for having such an emotion, even if it was just the smallest sting.

Lying down on the cot and facing the wall, Light muttered, "...And stop calling me Cake-kun."

L stood up slowly, turning away and walking towards the door. "Good night, then... Light-kun..."

--

That morning, the investigation team found L sitting on his chair, surrounded by empty bowls, sticky from previously holding vanilla ice cream.

Matsuda cleaned up the bowls, looking at L cautiously. Something seemed off about him.

L's eyes were locked on the screen with a determined stare. It was impossible to tell, but he was completely focused on Light, watching his every breath, hearing his every sound.

_I swear to you, Light-kun, before this is over, I will get every emotion out of you that you have ever tried to contain. And when I do, you will say my name again, I promise you that._


	12. Chapter 12: No Cigar

**Author's Notes**

I'll most likely update this chapter with edits later, but really, it had just been so long since I last posted that I started to get nervous... Sorry about that, by the way. I know it's been a while.

This chapter is more serious than others, but not like "omg somebody died!!1!" serious, just... less comedy, and more dramatic. Why am I telling you this? (1) You'll probably question the sudden change and (2) We're getting into the Yotsuba Arc, yay! I've sort of broken this story into three arcs (well, not really, but in my mind it can fall under three arcs), so we have Arc 1: Absurdity, Arc 2: Yotsuba, and Arc 3: ...well, psh, I'm not telling you. Not yet. XD

As I haven't said so in a while, and as long as I'm writing, I'd like to point out that I do not own Death Note or any of the characters.

Now that that's done, enjoy the chapter!

--

**Confinement, Day 26**

"Good morning, Light-kun," said L, attempting to sound cheerful, "How are you today?"

Light blinked, looking up at the camera. "…Excuse me?"

"I asked you how you are feeling, Light-kun," L explained, staring at the young man intently.

"Ryuzaki," Light said slowly, "I am sitting on the cold floor of a small cell with my hands tied behind my back on false suspicion of being the most evil and dangerous mass-murderer in the world."

L paused and, feeling slightly awkward, asked, "…And?"

Rolling his eyes and scoffing, Light laid down on the floor and turned away from the camera.

--

**Confinement, Day 32**

"You know, Light-kun," L muttered, "I have had some time to think this through… A long time, actually. Specifically, 31 days, 13 hours, fifteen minutes and…" He paused to glance at the clock, and then looked back to the monitor. "…47 seconds."

Light, lying on his cot, continued to stare at the wall.

"What have I been thinking about? I have been thinking about your mysteriously lost memories," said L, "Specifically, which ones." He leaned back in his chair, sighing. "You don't seem to recall telling me you love me, and your memory is hazy when it comes to your reasons… In fact, you seem like an entirely different person."

A small movement; Light shifting on his cot; nothing more.

"Of course, that only shows that you were attempting to use me. Perhaps trying to get my name? Most likely," said the black-haired detective. Putting a thin, pale hand on faded jeans, L gripped his knee, tightening the hold until it became painful; his irritation calmed, L released the grasp on himself and continued speaking. "A foolish endeavor, but I assume that was the reason you came up with to justify responding to my challenge. You couldn't resist a challenge, of course."

Lifting his head, Light glanced up at the camera; after a moment, he lowered his head again.

"What were you planning to do if you won me, Light-kun? Were you going to smash my heart into little pieces until I begged you to kill me? To take my name, look me in the eyes, and kill me? Perhaps you hoped to force it out of me in a moment of passion." L spat the words, like they were poison on his tongue. "All you've done is proven to me what I already know, Light-kun. All you've done is shown to me that you are Kira without room for doubt."

Light sat up on his cot and turned to the camera.

L's eyes narrowed. "But how can I bring justice against you if you don't recall what you've done?"

"Ryuzaki, please, I'm getting really tired of this," Light yelled frantically, "Just let me out! _I'm not Kira_!"

Light stared into the camera, and L, looking at the man through the television screen, stared back.

A push of the button, and all that L had just said to empty air could be told to the man in chains that he was watching.

L put his finger on the switch for the speaker in Light's cell. He rubbed it softly, not hard enough to push it down, but enough to feel the plastic's smooth texture against his skin. He muttered to himself, "No point."

After all, why would Light ever believe a single word he said?

Light continued to stare up, waiting silently for a response. L leaned back in his chair, thinking.

_There's an English idiom for a situation like this, I think; where someone tells another something, but they refuse to listen,_ thought L. _Pearls before swine? No, no; preaching to the choir? Well, that doesn't make any sense._ He nodded to himself as he remembered. _Ah, yes; falling on deaf ears._

He pushed the button and said, "You are deaf, Light-kun."

After a moment of stunned silence, Light's lips twitched into a scowl; he looked ready to burst, but in an attempt to hold in his resentment, the brunette merely turned back to the wall.

L sighed. "Another idiom comes to mind… Close, but no cigar."

--

**Confinement, Day 46**

L was frustrated. Not only was he frustrated, but he was also aggravated, irritated, upset, annoyed, and any other synonym you could look up in your thesaurus.

He had tried being friendly, he had tried being silent, he had even tried seduction occasionally (making sure, after the first encounter, to not get too close unless Light showed signs of positive reaction—needless to say, L didn't actually go into the cell that often). Nothing worked.

_This person doesn't respond to __**anything**__,_ L thought bitterly.

In his cell, Light had a longing expression on his face; from the angle of his gaze, L assumed the brunette was staring at the door.

_And then this murderer has the nerve to want to be let out,_ L thought, getting angry, _This stupid, arrogant--_

Interrupting his thoughts, Light looked up into the camera, and L saw the wide, innocent eyes that seemed to be getting prettier every day.

…_But he's not Kira anymore. Light-kun doesn't recall being Kira, so he is no longer that foolish, supercilious murderer…_

Light opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed his mouth again as though he had realized whatever he wanted to say was pointless. Light lowered his head, and an air of exhaustion seemed to resonate in the air around him.

L scowled. _Damn it._

--

**Confinement, Day 50**

"Ryuzaki, you need to let them out," Matsuda yelled desperately, "It's clear that Light isn't Kira, you should release him! Just look at the chief! He's in terrible condition!"

Glancing up at Matsuda, L's eyes narrowed. "There's still evidence to be found…"

"But not through this," Aizawa argued, "Matsuda's right, this is getting us nowhere."

L grimaced. "…Fine."

Matsuda cheered. "At last!"

--

**End of Confinement**

Inside the new investigation building, the team was gathered in the den of one of the accommodation floors as L put his observation plan into action.

Lifting a long, silver chain, L grabbed Light's left wrist. Light's eyes widened and his face distorted in a mixture of paling and blushing as the cold metal wrapped around his skin. There was a small 'click' as it locked, and a moment later, the other end was attached to L's right wrist, and the key was quietly tucked into the pocket of L's jeans.

Light raised his arm, the chain jingling. "Ryuzaki… Is this absolutely necessary?"

Raising his arm as well, L nodded. "Yes. This way, I can observe you 24-7, and you can still work on the investigation."

"Isn't… Isn't there some other way of doing this?" Light asked nervously, glancing at the chain again.

"No."

Misa glanced between them, obviously disturbed. "Is this what you're into? At school, you and Light were always together, too…" Misa glared at L suspiciously. "I'm watching you, you know…"

"On the contrary, Misa-san. I am watching you," said L, "And Light as well."

"What?! You pervert!" Misa screeched, flying away from L as though she were burned. She grabbed onto Light's arm tightly, rubbing her cheek into the sleeve of his sweater. "Don't worry, Light, I'll protect you!"

"Misa, please," said Light, sighing, "Evidence proved that you **did** send those tapes, so you have to cooperate."

"But Liiiiight," Misa whined. L quickly cut her off.

"Misa-san, I have gone out of my way to give you a room right next to ours, not to mention a whole floor to yourself," said L, "So please be satisfied."

"And this 'ours' business!" yelled Misa, not paying attention to anything else L had said. She let go of Light's arm to poke L in the chest aggressively. "Why do you share a room with Light??"

"Yes, why _do_ you share a room with Light?" asked Soichiro, looking fairly disturbed at that thought.

"Really, Ryuzaki, you could just chain me to something while I sleep, or set up an alarm at all possible exits," said Light, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't need to sleep with each oth—sleep in the same room."

"_You know what_ for _you know who_," Matsuda whispered to Aizawa slyly, wiggling his eyebrows. Aizawa grimaced and pushed Matsuda away from his ear.

"It is apparently 'gang up on Ryuzaki' day," said L, nibbling on his thumb. "Being chained to me at all times is the safest option, Light-kun. While undoing the chain to attach it to something else, you could easily find a way to escape. And alarms can fail."

"Excuses, excuses," Matsuda whispered, again to Aizawa. He was enjoying this immensely.

Aizawa, who did _not_ enjoy the thought of his coworkers being chained up in bed at night, pushed Matsuda away again and scooted his chair as far away as possible. Matsuda pouted, the need to gossip still pulsing through him. He sighed and went back to paying attention to the situation.

"So, what about my dates with Light?" asked Misa, snuggling into Light's arm again. "I need to go on dates with my boyfriend…"

"Boyfriend?" asked Light, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh?" asked Misa, looking up at Light in shock.

"All I remember," said Light, "Is that you said you love me and then won't leave me alone…"

Misa looked horrified. L's face didn't change, but if you looked closely, you could see a sort of smug look in his eyes.

"So you take advantage of that and kiss me??" Misa yelled, slamming her fists into Light's chest. Light, apparently unaffected by her pummeling, just kept staring at her in bewilderment. "How could you, Light! You're so mean!!"

"Indeed, Light-kun," said L, "It's very cruel to agree to be with someone and then just forget."

Light glowered at him. Misa smiled.

"See? Even Ryuzaki agrees with me! Thank you, Ryuzaki!"

L's lips twitched into a smirk. "Of course, Misa-san."

--

"Light-kun," L asked later that night in their room, when they were lying on either side of the king-sized bed, "Are you serious about Misa-san?"

"No," Light answered, not turning to look at him, "As I've said, it's all one-sided."

L paused, then asked, "Light-kun, are you serious about me?"

Light turned to him at that. "No," he said, scowling, "It's all one-sided."

As Light turned back around, L thought, _We'll see about __**that**__._

--

**Author's Notes**

Whoa-hoh-ho! And again we have the mysterious line from L to end a chapter. Is this using a common theme, or am I just bad at conclusions?

With the English idioms thing, I actually had to look up what "preaching to the choir" meant. Isn't that sad? I can never remember what exactly that means. I always know, deep down, but I have to look it up again anyway.

I'd like to take this moment to ask you, the precious readers, to please review. A lot. Do it for Cake-kun!

(kisses hand) Mwwwah! G'night, everybody!


	13. Chapter 13: Seduction

I'm so sorry, everyone. There is no excuse for how long this took.

I hope you enjoy the chapter. As a warning, there is some language in this, but I think only once.

--

Light was sitting in front of the computer, trying to find a connection between Kira's victims for the day. L sat next to him, the chain keeping them from getting too far apart. (Though Light tried to make it possible, scooting as far away from L as he could—unfortunately, L simply moved closer whenever Light inched away.) Soichiro was trying to ignore the situation, Aizawa had somehow managed to block out his surroundings, and Matsuda couldn't stop glancing at L and Light with joyful suspicion. (Matsuda was part of both the situation and the surroundings, so his coworkers took no notice of him.) Ide was simply oblivious to it all, actually working.

Trying his best to keep his eyes on the screen, Light looked at the numbers and statistics with forced interest. Normally he had great focus, but L was being very distracting.

A hand inched towards his thigh. Light slapped it away.

After a few more minutes, L made no more moves, and Light dropped his guard slightly. Maybe the older man had given up, or at least for a little while.

Suddenly, an alert flashed in the corner of his screen. He had a new e-mail.

He opened it up, vaguely curious. Were there new updates on one of the Kira websites he was watching? A new lead on the method of killing?

**Subject: Hello there, good looking**

Apparently not.

Annoyed, Light opened the e-mail to send an angry reply, not wanting to openly confront L about it. To his horror, the e-mail was a few pages long; how much time had L taken to write this?

**Are you a magnet? Because I'm attracted to you.**

**I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away.**

**I know I'm not a grocery item, but I can tell when you're checking me out.**

That was enough. Light hit the reply button and stabbed his fingers into the keys.

_**Are you doing this instead of working? Stop being ridiculous and do your job!**_

Sending the message, Light went back to work. After a minute, a reply came.

**Did you read them all, Light-kun? My favorite was "Nice legs. What time do they open?"**

Light frowned at the bad line. It turned into a horrified grimace as he realized L had directed it at _him_ in that first e-mail.

_**Why did you send me those? Shouldn't you be researching?**_

**If that's the only issue, Light-kun, then I will get back to work; maybe later on I can try them in person.**

_**You're sitting right next to me.**_

**Then should I use them now, Light-kun?**

Light turned to glare at L. "Leave me alone and do your work!" he hissed.

L shrugged and turned back to his computer screen.

--

The next day, and morning had broken. Yawning, Light stepped out of the bedroom, L following a ways behind. Turning a corner and walking down a hall, Light paused for a moment.

"Ryuzaki, there's a kitchen on every floor, right?" asked Light, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Where's the one on this floor again?"

"It would be directly to your right, Light-kun," said L, stopping next to Light and pointing to said room.

"Oh yeah." Light laughed sheepishly. "I knew it was around here, but my mind's pretty fuzzy in the morning…"

He stepped into the kitchen, and froze. Cautiously, he walked up to the counter.

"Ryuzaki, there are…" Light stopped. He already knew what the red roses were there for. "Never mind."

"What is it, Light-kun?" asked L, acting oblivious to the flowers on the table.

"Nothing," said Light, stepping away from the counter. Opening the pantry, he froze again.

_Yellow tulips… in cereal boxes? _

Indeed, the golden flowers seemed to sprout from the bran flakes and sugary bits; their petals looked soft, and even in the dim light, they seemed luminous. They must have been expensive, being of such fine quality, and showing it, even when sitting in cereal.

Shutting the door quietly, Light moved on to the fridge. After holding his hand on the handle in anxious anticipation for what seemed like forever, he hesitantly pulled opened the door.

He almost wasn't surprised, but it was just too ridiculous not to be.

Passion flowers, abounding in wild colors and beautiful soft petals, were sitting in a decorative porcelain vase on the top shelf of the refrigerator. There was a pink silk bow tied around in, and a card, which Light deliberately ignored.

"Ryuzaki," Light said slowly, "I highly doubt the flowers belong in the refrigerator."

Ignoring him, L went to the flowers on the counter. Reading the card, he said with mock astonishment, "Why look, Light-kun. These are for you."

"I figured," Light deadpanned. "Now seriously, Ryuzaki…"

"And look," L continued, "They're from me! How very nice of me." Looking up at Light with wide, innocent eyes, he said, "It would be very rude not to accept these, Light-kun."

Not saying anything, Light took the vase out of the refrigerator. Placing it carefully on the counter, he turned back to L. Walking over to the detective, Light was the picture of calm.

L watched, vaguely curious. Finally, Light made it over to the older man.

With one graceful swoop, Light knocked the vase of roses over, splashing the water that it had contained all over L's chest.

Both men were silent, making the small clatter of the vase as it rolled to the side perfectly audible. The roses fell to the floor, and one of the thorns scratched against L's feet. Still neither said anything, just staring at each other. Both gazes were completely blank.

"Let's get to work, Ryuzaki," said Light at last, walking out of the kitchen.

L followed silently.

--

"That's _it_," said Light, slamming his fist down on the desk. He and L were alone in the investigation room, and both had been working quietly throughout most of the night. Until, of course, L had felt the need to reach towards Light's leg for the thousandth time that week. "Ryuzaki, will you please stop it?!"

L shrunk his hand back, sticking a finger in his mouth and chewing silently. "Stop what, Light-kun?"

"You know perfectly well what, so stop the god damn act," Light yelled, clenching his fist in frustration. "You have been making these… these… _moves_ on me, for the past week! And it's _disturbing_! Stop it!"

"Now, Light-kun," said L, "Do calm down. What have I done that could possibly be considered 'disturbing'?"

"Well, there was the time when you 'accidentally' walked in on me when I was in the shower, then that box of chocolates that showed up on my dresser," said Light, counting them off on his fingers, "And then when I walked out of the bathroom, and you were posing _**naked**_ on the bed…"

"You seem to be blushing at the memory of that one, Light-kun," said L, smirking. "Was it really that disturbing?"

"More than you know," Light hissed angrily, glaring at him. "Look, the point is, this is harassment."

"It's only harassment when you don't want it, Light-kun," said L playfully.

"If you don't stop insinuating things right this minute…" Light didn't finish his sentence, taking a deep, calming breath. Regaining his composure, he straightened up, and told L in all seriousness, "Ryuzaki, if you don't stop making moves on me…" He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his features.

"Yes?" asked L, gesturing for Light to continue.

"If you don't stop making moves on me," Light said again, "I will castrate you with my bare hands."

L went quiet.

Satisfied with the reaction, Light sat back down at his desk and went back to work.

--

The next morning when Light woke up, he blinked a little sleep out of his eyes then closed them again, too tired to get up just yet. After a moment of resting like that, he was about to open his eyes again when he realized something was wrong. And he didn't know what, but he had a hunch.

Of course, the obvious solution was to just open his eyes and look. But he didn't want to, because he could tell he wouldn't like it.

For some reason, there was something very warm curled up against him. And this thing was no pillow.

Finally, Light opened his eyes.

As he had feared, L was rolled up against him tightly, as though trying to escape some chill. Light assumed L had some reason for doing this—maybe a nightmare, or he was used to sleeping with large pillows to hold or something—but he didn't care. He promptly made a move to kick the man away from him—**hard**.

It was then that he realized that he couldn't move—and that L had certainly _not_ done it subconsciously.

Wrapped around them, tying them together, was the chain.

"AUGH!" With a horrified yell, Light tried to back away, only resulting in dragging L with him. At the movement, L's eyes instantly shot open, and Light got the feeling L had never been asleep at all.

"Good morning Light-kun," said L, perfectly calm.

"DAMN IT, RYUZAKI!" Light pushed back again, and the two of them fell off of the bed, turning in midair so L's back hit the ground. The chain still holding them together, Light barely stopped himself from knocking his head against L's, but that left them at such close proximities that anyone who came in would undoubtedly think they were about to kiss.

Light realized in horror that the only thing he had managed to loosen were his arms, which had ended up on either side of L's head to keep them from hitting each other—meaning **he** was the one pinning **L**—and that he had gone to bed that night wearing only boxers, which he was painfully reminded of by his bare legs brushing against L's jeans.

"Eager, Light-kun?" asked L, sounding completely serious.

Light jerked upward, in an attempt to escape, but the chain was tight. He blushed as the jerking ground their hips together, and even L's eyes widened, just a little. L grunted, almost in a moan, "L-Light-kun!"

"S-shut up and unwrap the chain!!" Light yelled, his blush growing darker. "Why the hell did you… How?!"

"Now, Light-kun, why would I do something like this?" asked L innocently.

"I can think of a few reasons, pervert, now get them off!" Struggling some more, Light was unable to loosen the chain any further. Realizing his twisting was only making the situation worse—think 'bodily reactions'—he stopped squirming. "Ryuzaki, I told you to stop making moves on me! **I think this counts as a fucking move**!!"

"Oh yes, you were going to castrate me for something like this, weren't you?" L asked calmly, tilting his head to the side. He jerked his hips up, and Light choked in shock. L didn't react, and kept talking. "Go ahead, Light-kun… Reach down and pull."

"I am going to kill you," Light whispered furiously, his face bright red. "Now cut the innuendo and unravel us."

"I'm afraid I can't—not like this." He began to explain. "You see, Light-kun. To unravel us, I would need to unlock the chain, using the key that is in the left dresser… and we fell off the right side of the bed."

"Then stand with me, and we'll move around until you can grab the key." Pushing up with his hands, Light tried to lift the both of them off of the ground. "Help me here!"

"All right… I will miss our wonderful position, but I suppose the chains no longer digging into my back is no loss." L moved upwards with Light, and after a minute of awkward twisting and stumbling, they had completely stood. "There we go, Light-kun… Lucky our legs and feet weren't tangled as well."

"Yeah. Lucky," Light spat, looking incredibly uncomfortable about how close they were, pressed together at their chests and hips. If he hadn't been turning his head, Light's lips would only be millimeters from L's. "Okay, now start turning."

"We could also try to just loosen the chains until they fall off of us, Light-kun," said L, "If you want to get inventive with our solution."

Light glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Let's not. Turn."

"Hmm… no." Wriggling around until he got his hands on Light's hips, L murmured, "Let's dance, Light-kun."

His eyes widening, Light shouted, "No, Ryuzaki, just get us out of here! We need to investigate Kira, and I'm seriously getting sick of this…"

Unfortunately for him, L didn't care. Humming a tune, L shifted his feet and began to pull Light with him in a makeshift waltz.

They shuffled and spun around the room, too close and tangled to make the dance elegant, but being surprisingly graceful for their situation. Light continued to make anxious, irritated noises, and kept his eyes on their feet to make sure they didn't trip; L kept humming, and his eyelids drooped, his gaze locked on Light's face.

_I_ _wish he would just shut up and take in the moment,_ L thought, _But this is somehow… nice…_

Light whipped his head towards L, flustered and angry. "Ryuzaki—"

Before the brunette could say anything else, L took advantage of their proximity and pushed his lips against Light's.

They were softer than L remembered. Soft, but firm; the perfect lips, L thought, pushing in further…

Until suddenly, he was pushed back. But forcing the other man back wasn't the best idea Light had ever had, because now they were definitely going to fall.

Before they tottered to the floor, L got a good look at Light's expression.

Light was absolutely horrified.

They hit the floor, the chain getting even more tangled. The two men had landed awkwardly, L half pinning Light, half lying on the floor; Light was all the way trapped.

Without another word—saying anything would only make the atmosphere more awkward, that was obvious—L lifted them up and they inched to the dresser, L grabbing the key out of the dresser and unlocking them. The chain was unraveled and fell to the floor, until finally they were free.

When they were out, the two stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. L made a move to put the chain back on when Light spoke.

"Can I stay off the chain for a minute?" Light muttered quietly. "I… I need to use the restroom."

L nodded, and Light walked quickly, almost running, into the bathroom.

Watching him go, L chewed on his lip thoughtfully. His upper lip twitched in restrained irritation.

_Why don't I seem to have any affect?_

--

Leaning against the door of the bathroom, Light rubbed his fingers against his lips, staring at the floor.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, a blush dusting his cheeks, Light turned on the faucet and splashed cool water over his face.

He tried not to focus on the lingering feel of a chest pressed against his, of hands on his hips, of chains keeping them locked together as closely as if they were holding each other in the most passionate of ways.

_Ryuzaki is a good dancer… _

--

Author's Note: I just love dancing. It's so beautiful and romantic...

And some of Light's thoughts are revealed! Hurray!

It seems you are getting somewhere, L! Light's just very good at denial. Or maybe your methods of seduction seriously suck, and he wants you to stop using these cliche moves and just dance with him some more.

Next chapter: A confession from someone. Who? Of what? We'll see.

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14: Immaturity

Author's Notes: I already said this in my otherstory, Rollerskates, but I don't think all of you read that one, so I'll say it again here. Sorry this took so long, I was participating in National Novel Writing Month. So for the whole month of November, I didn't really have the time to write anything else, you see.

But that's over now, so updates will hopefully come more frequently. Now, on with the chapter.

--

"I'm bored of this," Misa whined. "This isn't a real date! We're just sitting here!" She glared at L, who was crouching on the sofa opposite her next to Light. "And you! Stop watching us, you pervert!"

"I would only be a pervert if you were doing anything," said L, taking a bite of his cake. "And even then, I would have to watch, as you are my suspects and I need to know what you are doing at all times."

"All the time? Pervert!" Misa screeched, clenching her fists.

"Calm down, Misa. It's fine," said Light, leaning back against the sofa with his legs crossed. "It's necessary, as long as Ryuzaki suspects us."

"But… But can't we just be alone for a little while?" asked Misa with a pout. It turned into a flirtatious smirk. "Maybe at night, and with none of the cameras turned on…"

_Why am _I_ the one who is always called a pervert?_ thought L, twirling his fork between his fingers.

The phone rang, and L picked it up between his fingers, raising it to his ear. "Hello."

"Ryuzaki," said Matsuda on the other end. "The hour is up."

"Ah. Thank you, Matsuda-san." L dropped the phone back onto the receiver. "Your time is up, Misa-san."

"What?!" Misa screeched, getting up from the sofa. "No way!"

"You were bored of it anyway, Misa-san," said L as he stood, the chain giving a faint jingle beside him. "Now Light-kun and I must work."

"Okay, Ryuzaki," said Light, standing up as well.

"But wait! This was hardly a date at all," said Misa. "That's not fair, Ryuzaki!"

"Not caring, Misa-san," said L, turning away and walking out the door.

"Hey! I'm not finished!" Misa yelled at them as they left, but did not chase after them. "Come back! Light!"

"Sorry, Misa," said Light with an apologetic smile. As Misa swooned at it, he closed the door.

"It is so refreshing to be outside of the intellectual black hole that is Misa-san's room," said L, ignoring the screech of 'I heard that!' coming from the other side of the door.

"Yeah… Uh, what I mean is, I've been wanting to get to work since we got in there," said Light, "I think I'm on to something in my research on Kira."

"That's good to hear, Light-kun," said L, sticking his hands in his pockets and beginning his stroll down the hallway towards the investigation room.

"Yes, there's been an increase in deaths involving large corporations recently," said Light as they descended the stairs and opened the door where their coworkers were waiting. "I think that—"

"Ryuzaki!"

"Hm?" L turned to find Matsuda too close for comfort with tears in his eyes and a quivering lip.

"Ryuzaki, that was so cruel," said Matsuda. "You turned down Misa-Misa's requests without a thought! How could you?"

"There are obvious reasons to deny her request," said L, "Calm down, Matsuda-san. If you would merely put some thought into it—"

"She's been crying since you left," Matsuda interrupted, pointing his finger at the largest screen in the middle of the monitors.

'Crying' was not exactly the best way of describing it. In actuality, Misa was throwing an all-out fit, slamming her fists against pillows, kicking things, and screaming as loud as she could.

"We put it on mute, but we can still tell she's screeching," said Aizawa, holding his head as though he were currently suffering from a massive headache. "She just said something about her needs never being satisfied and started bawling."

Light groaned. "How old is she, exactly?"

"You do not have to be young to throw a tantrum," said L. "Nor old to be mature."

"Or young to be _im_mature," Light muttered.

"Misa-Misa isn't old," said Matsuda quietly.

"Well, nothing to worry about. If we leave it on mute, we will not hear her, and she will eventually grow tired and give up," said L. He pulled Light to the monitors and crouched on one of the rolling chairs. "For now, take her off the main screen to make her less of a hindrance. We will continue working and not let her bother us."

"That is all so disrespectful to her," said Soichiro.

"She is not being respectful to me, or the rules I previously set, Yagami-san," said L. "So I shall not return the favor."

"So immature," Light murmured from beside L as he sat down in his own chair.

L heard. And while L could have said something about it, he instead decided to analyze it.

_Shit,_ thought L. _I am supposed to be winning Light-kun over, and now he uses the same word to describe me as he did for Amane. And as he is so obviously against Amane's advances, that's not exactly in my favor._

"Oh god, I can see her right from where I'm sitting," said Aizawa, watching the small Misa roll around on the floor.

_Light-kun doesn't seem to be warming up to me. At times I have thought there were signs, but they're quickly pushed away by fervent rejection. I doubt that's good._

"Damn it, I'm starting to feel really guilty…"

_I remember that once before I thought that the smaller moves were the most effective. But I tried that. Then I went with larger moves, but perhaps I made them too intense._

"Hey, she's stopped screaming. Thank god…"

_What I need to go with is something big, but not too big. Something that will get to Light-kun in a way that is not completely disturbing, as he claims my other attempts were._

"Ryuzaki, she's saying something. Should I take it off of mute?"

L glanced at the screen Aizawa was looking at, where the muted Misa's lips were indeed moving. "Rewind it to when she started talking."

Aizawa did so, and L's eyes watched Misa's mouth.

"_I know you're watching me_," said L, his lip movements following Misa's. "_I won't stop until I get my date with Light_."

"You can read lips?" asked Light, raising an eyebrow.

_A date with Light,_ thought L. Something clicked. _Of course!_

L suddenly shot up from his chair and stormed back towards Misa's room, dragging Light behind him.

"Heh, I guess Ryuzaki couldn't stand it either," said Aizawa.

L threw the door to Misa's room open, cutting her off mid-wail as he walked over to her with his finger at his lips.

"So, Misa-san," said L, "You're saying that what you want is a proper date with Light-kun, and some time alone with him?"

Light glanced at L suspiciously. Misa nodded. "Yes…?"

"Well, you certainly can't have any time alone with him," said L, "But I think a proper date could be arranged."

--

"This is a complete waste of time," said Light.

"So are the rest of your dates, Light-kun," said L. "At least you get to go outside."

"Yeah—still chained to your wrist," Light muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm sure looking forward to tonight."

"What are you talking about over there?" whined Misa from the other side of the limo, where she was chained to her seat. "Why can't I sit with you, Light?"

"Light-kun and I take up too much space for you to sit with us, Misa-san," said L, his thumb at his mouth. "And with a certain amount of time with Light-kun, I'm sure you would rather have your time start at the restaurant than on the ride there."

"You're setting a time limit?" asked Light.

"Only for her."

"I bet you made all that up," said Misa, giving Ryuzaki the dreaded Point of Accusation. "You just want to have Light to yourself so you can feel him up, don't you?"

"Misa-san, if I wanted to do that, I would do that at night, in the bed I _share_ with Light-kun," said L, "Not right in front of you, on one of the rare occasions you're even able to see him."

Light blinked. "Did you just diss her?"

"Perhaps."

"This isn't fair," said Misa, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted this to be just me and Light!"

"I find it absolutely hilarious that you and Misa-san do the same thing when you complain, Light-kun," said L.

Light removed his arms from his chest, instead settling for gripping the arm rest as though he were imagining it was someone's head. "Ryuzaki, how can you even leave the building? Doesn't this seem a little… Oh, I don't know… _**Stupid?**_"

"As long as no one knows my identity, I'll be fine," said L. "And I have Watari watching the restaurant security cameras, to make sure there is no one there who will recognize any of us."

"What about Misa?" asked Light. "She's a model. Won't somebody recognize her?"

"Nobody important will," said L. "And that reminds me. My name for this outing is Ryuga Hideki."

"I met Ryuga Hideki once," said Misa. "He was kind of an ass. He looked down my shirt."

"I do not see what is wrong with that, Misa-san," said L. "There is nothing to see."

Both Light and Misa gaped at him for quite some time.

"Ah, look," said L, glancing out the window, "We're here."

--

Author's Note: Okay, so the confession wasn't here. I expected it to be, but it didn't fit in. To make up for it, here's L with a small confession:

L: I really do not like Misa-san very much. Also, Matsuda once told me I resemble a ferret, then burst out laughing and walked away. It was quite odd.

The NEXT chapter will hold the actual confession. And the date!

Please review!


	15. Chapter 15: Feeling

"Can't _I_ sit across from Light?" Misa whined, adjusting her hold on Light's arm. "The people going out should sit across from each other!"

"Misa-san, please do not complain," said L. He was seated directly across from Light, who avoided looking at him. "This way is the most comfortable as long as the chain is between us. Besides, this way you can work on your goal of cutting off the blood flow in Light's arm until it must be amputated."

Misa scowled at him and scooted closer to Light, sticking out her tongue at the older man. "You're just jealous, perv."

"Ryuga, it really wouldn't be _that_ uncomfortable to sit next to each other," said Light. He laughed. "This way, it's almost like _you're_ the one going out with _me_."

He narrowed his eyes, glaring at L intensely. His gaze clearly read, _I know what you're doing._

"Hey, he's right," said Misa with a high-pitched gasp. "You brought Light here to try and get a date with _him_, didn't you? You jerk, Ryuzaki!"

"Ryuga," L corrected. _You aren't supposed to voice the diabolical plans aloud, Amane._ L resisted the habitual urge to place his thumb at his lips. _Down by 3%. If that was her normal behavior, you'd think that Kira would have found her a hindrance and killed her... _"So. What do you think you'll be getting, Light-kun?"

"_I'm_ supposed to ask that! _I'm_ his date!"

"Misa, please, quiet," said Light, pushing lightly on the hands on his arm. Misa pouted and backed away. "I'm not sure what I'm getting, Ryuzaki. I was thinking maybe some soup..."

"Light-kun, you do not need to tone down your order on my account," said L. "Remember my profession."

"Thank you, Ryuzaki," said Light. "But really, I don't want anything huge."

"...Is anyone going to ask what I want?"

"How about the drink? There are no qualms with age, I have an ID made if necessary," said L. "I want you to enjoy yourself."

"You want Misa to enjoy herself too, right? Right?"

"I'm not the alchohol type, Ryuzaki," said Light. "I'm fine without."

"If you say so, Light-kun," said L. "But the offer stands."

"I want wine," said Misa loudly, slamming her fist on the table.

Light looked down at her, scowling. "Misa, don't be so loud. People will think you're already drunk."

"You mean you expect me to get drunk, Light?" asked Misa, pouting. She grinned and traced a circle on Light's arm with her finger. "Or do you _want_ me to get drunk?"

"Hello there," came an all-too-perky voice. They turned to see a young, cheery waiter with short black hair smiling down at them. "I will be your waiter tonight."

"Hello," said Misa.

"Have you decided on your beverages?"

"I will have an orgasm," said L, keeping his eyes locked on Light.

"EW!"

"It's a drink, Misa."

"Oh."

"And you, miss?" asked the waiter, turning to Misa with an even wider smile on his lips, not that it wasn't already splitting his face in two.

"Oh... I'll have, um... Light, what should I get?" asked Misa.

Light shrugged. "Water?"

Misa's face fell. "Ohh... Well, actually..." She sighed. "I probably should... Just water, please."

"All right." The waiter glanced at Light. "And you, sir?"

"He will have an orgasm as well," said L.

"No I won't." Light smiled at the waiter. "I'll just have some water, thank you."

"Gotcha," said the waiter, writing all of it down on his pad. "I'll be right back with your drinks, and then I'll get your orders if you're ready."

"Thank you," said Light. As soon as the waiter was gone, he turned to glare at L. "Please don't say things like that."

"I merely wanted to order your drink for you, Light-kun," said L innocently. "I thought you would like an orgasm. I doubt you've ever had one, and I wanted to give you that opportunity. They are fantastic."

Light's cheeks turned bright red, and Misa's eyebrow twitched. "He's still talking about the drink, right, Light...?"

No one answered her, which wasn't too surprising.

After approximately fifteen minutes, the waiter came back, carrying their beverages. "Here you are..." He placed their drinks before them, smiling brightly. "One for you, one for you, and one for you."

Light thanked him, and L picked up the menu. "So... I would like the multi-layered chocolate cake."

"The Chocolate Delight, good choice, sir," said the waiter, seemingly unaffected by the early order of dessert. "And for you, miss?"

"Just a light salad," said Misa, smiling. "I need to stay thin."

"Salad it is. Dressing?"

"No dressing, thanks."

"Okay, and you, sir?"

"I'll have the Ceasar," said Light, "No dressing."

"Understood, sir," said the waiter, writing down the order. "Will that be all?"

"Yes," said L, "Thank you very much."

The waiter left, and the table went silent. L stared intently at Light, not bothering to hide it, and Misa glanced between the two of them, her distress clear to anyone who bothered to look.

"So," said Misa, again too loudly. "Did you guys hear that I'm getting into a movie?"

"Yes, Misa-san," said L, "It has been all you can talk about for the past week."

"Don't be so mean to her, Ryuga," said Light. He turned to Misa, who gasped with delight at actually being spoken to, not to mention defended by Light for once. "Misa. What kind of character are you playing? Do you know anything about it yet?"

"Well, it's this story about a guy who meets an angel, who went down to Earth to save him," said Misa excitedly. "The girl Misa plays is the angel! I'm going to get to wear a pretty white dress and these beautiful, fluffy wings..."

"That sounds very cliché," said L. "What is the angel saving him from?"

Misa huffed. "Himself! There are these demons inside of him, sent by the devil..."

"And the angel saves him, of course," said L, "Most likely involving their passionate, unconquerable love for each other."

Her lips twisting in a scowl, Misa grabbed her water and took a long drink. Slapping down her glass, Misa grabbed her napkin and wiped the excess water from her lips, smearing her lipstick down her chin. "I'm going to the bathroom," said Misa, standing up and storming towards the restroom.

"Uh, Misa..." Light began, but she was gone before she could say anything. He sighed. "Should we have told her about her lipstick?"

"She will see it in the bathroom mirror," said L. "There is no need to worry about her."

"I suppose you're right," Light murmured, giving a final forlorn glance towards the bathrooms.

And so the two sat, neither speaking. Light began to drum his fingers against the table absentmindedly, looking at the other consumers in the restaurant and doing his best to not look at the man chained to his wrist.

"Why so tense, Light-kun?" asked L, leaning forward in his seat. "It's not like you."

"You know perfectly well why," Light muttered. "I'm just thankful that not many people seemed to notice that we're chained together. More stares wouldn't make me feel any more comfortable."

"People are staring, are they, Light-kun?"

"Yes, of course they are, L."

"Perhaps they're not staring because of the chain," said L. "It could be because of you. When someone with your kind of undeniable beauty saunters in..."

"For the love of god, please don't start this in public," Light groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know why you really brought me here, Ryuga. And I do not appreciate it. So if you could just back off already..."

"That is not something I can do, Light-kun," said L.

"Please quiet down," Light hissed. "If we're going to discuss this in here, I don't want people to hear us."

"There is nothing to discuss, Light-kun," said L. "All I need is an answer."

"To what question?" Light snapped. "You don't ask me how I feel, you just come on to me as though you think it's just that easy. That _I'm_ that easy." Light leaned in, his eyes narrowing in a cold glare. "You don't even know my god damn sexuality! Do you care at _all_ about what I'm feeling?"

"There is a 97% chance that Light-kun is a homosexual," said L.

"Where the hell do these percentages come from?!" He ran a hand through his auburn hair to calm himself, sighing. "Don't think I didn't notice that you avoided the question, Ryuza--Ryuga."

"That question didn't need an answer, Light-kun," said L. "I care very much about how you are feeling..."

"No. No you don't." Light scooted to the edge of the seat and stood up. "I can't take any more of this. I want to leave, Ryuga."

"Light-kun..." L stood up with him and reached out to place a hand on the boy's shoulder, but Light moved away and stormed to the door, pulling L behind him. "Light-kun, wait a minute..."

"Shut up, Ryuga." Light pushed open the doors and left the building. L hurried to catch the door so the chain wouldn't catch.

"Light-kun, our meal," said L. "Not to mention, Misa-san is still in the bathroom."

"Fuck, I forgot about Misa," Light muttered. He turned back halfway, then gave an irritated groan and turned back around towards the empty parking lot. "Forget it. She can just come out to the car when she sees we're not there. I'm not going back in."

"I must remember to send them the money I owe them," L murmured to himself. "...Or maybe not. It's not important."

"Damn it, where is the car again?" asked Light, looking around. "You'd think that, being a large, black, and expensive vehicle, it would be easier to fucking _find_."

"I love it when you curse, Light-kun," said L. "It is refreshing."

"I don't want to think about what you just said, or even hear your voice right now, okay?" said Light, turning in various directions, deciding on one, and beginning his furious pace towards a random section of cars. "So piss off."

"Light-kun." L grabbed Light by the arm before he could walk away and pulled the brunette back to him. "What I meant was, you don't let your feelings show nearly enough. It's refreshing to hear you let loose a little and show your frustrations."

"...You like it when I show my _frustrations_, Ryuzaki?" asked Light, gritting his teeth.

"Yes, Light-kun," said L, "Very much so."

"All right." Light turned around and glared at L fiercely, a dark scowl crossing his lips. "I'll tell you about my _frustrations_, Ryuzaki."

L's expression remained blank as Light grabbed him by the front of the shirt and lifted him from his slouch. "_You_. _You_ encompass all of my frustrations," Light snarled, fisting the white fabric tighter. "Ever since you locked me up in that cell... No, ever since I _met _you, you've been driving me insane! When you're not accusing me of being Kira, you're trying to get into my pants! What the hell is wrong with you? I'm your suspect, and what do you do? Send me pick-up lines!" Light released L's shirt to turn away and pinch the bridge of his nose. "We're both guys. And you're not even all that discreet. Our coworkers are in the room while you're coming on to me, you know. My father!" Light grimaced. "And sometimes... Sometimes I think you're just doing all this because you want me to confess..."

"Light-kun." L grabbed Light by the shoulder and whipped him around so they were facing each other. Light gasped at the darkness in L's expression, the furious glint in his eyes. "Let me tell you something.

"I do not care if we are both men. I figured that out on my own, and I see no problem with it. Nor do I care if we are surrounded by our coworkers, family members, the world... I do not care who sees us." L squeezed the bewildered Light's shoulder tighter and pulled him in closer. "I _do not care_ if I suspect you of being Kira. Hell, I don't care even if you _are_ Kira. All I want is for you to care for me, Light-kun. I just want you to love me!"

Light stared at L with wide eyes, stunned speechless.

"Is that..." Light swallowed. "Is all that true?"

L blinked and, surprising even himself, nodded. "Yes, Light-kun... All of that is the truth."

"I... I never knew that you... You felt so _strongly_ about it," Light murmured, eyes downcast.

"I don't feel this strongly about 'it', Light-kun," said L, "I feel this way about _you_."

"Don't say a cheesy thing like that, Ryuga," said Light with a soft chuckle. "It ruins it."

"Ruins what, Light-kun?" asked L. "What are you feeling?"

Light blushed. "I..." He grit his teeth. "I don't know! I don't understand any of this."

"Just try, Light-kun," said L. He let go of Light's shoulders and took a step back. "Honestly tell me how you feel."

"You're just saying that because I accused you of not caring, aren't you?" Light muttered, giving a soft, bitter laugh. He frowned and turned away, making the chain give a small jingle as it moved. "I… I don't know. I've just been so _confused_…"

"That is a feeling, Light-kun," L pointed out.

"Well, of course it is, but it's not what you mean," said Light. He groaned. "All of your 'attempts' have been pissing me off, really. You are always so _extreme_ with everything, and if you'd just… Damn it. We're supposed to be working on the Kira case, and instead we're…" He turned back around. "Let's not do this, Ryuzaki, we have more important things to worry about…"

"_No_, Light-kun," said L, his expression darkening. "Nothing is more important than this."

Light scowled. "_Fine_, if you really care that much," he said, "I want you, all right? I've been feeling something, and I _hate_ it, and I keep pushing it back but it's _there_! There's this intense attraction pulling me towards you, even with all of the reasons to stay away!" Light bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair, moving away from L and back again anxiously. "It's not… I don't _love_ you or anything. I don't think so, infatuation, maybe… But god damn it, I hate it! It won't leave me alone, just like _you_ won't leave me alone!"

"Light-kun," L murmured, wrapping his arms around Light's torso and pulling the brunette close. He reached up and ran a hand through the boy's hair, feeling Light's chest rise and fall against his own in heavy, panicked breaths. "Calm down, Light-kun…"

"Stop… Stop acting like you _care_ for me," said Light, lowering his head to rest it on L's shoulder. "Please stop it…"

At their place beside Light's ear, L's lips twitched into a twisted smirk.

_I'm winning, Light-kun._

--

On the car ride home, Light was curled up by L's side, his cheeks hot and his hand clinging to L's awkwardly as the older man ran his hand up and down Light's arm. Watari had had the screen between the driver's seat and the back seats rolled up, which had eased Light's worry by a little, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of terror in the pit of his stomach, a festering fear of the future and what would happen between the two of them. L, on the other hand, was incredibly cheerful—for him, anyway—and he almost looked as though he were smiling, with his lips less down-turned than usual and a soft hum coming from the back of his throat.

Suddenly, Light shot up in his seat. "Ryuzaki."

"What is it, Light-kun?"

"We forgot Misa."

--

"Misa-Misa will _so_ kill Ryuzaki for this," Misa muttered to herself, twirling her spoon around and around in her fourth drink of the evening. "Just imagine what he could be doing to Light right now, the pervert…"

"D-Do you want anything else?" asked the waiter, who stood an extra step away from the table, terrified by her obvious drunken rage.

"I'll tell you what Misa wants," she snapped. "Misa wants… Misa wants…" She trailed off, hanging her head. "Auuugggghhh… Misa wants a bucket."

"I'll… be right back." The waiter zipped away, leaving Misa to her misery.

Frowning, Misa leaned forward and rested her chin on the table. "Why does the gay pervert get more time with Light than I do…?"

--

Author's Notes: We're getting somewhere, people. This is far from the end.

The 'orgasm' bit is a tribute to SekushiAi's 'Awkward Encounters'. Ever since I learned about those cocktails, I have never been the same.

Please review!


	16. Chapter 16: Steps

PLEASE READ THIS. There's something I feel I ought to tell you guys.

Sometimes I make contradictions in my story, because I forget to think. (For instance, in chapter 2, Light mentioned Misa before he even met her. I've fixed that.) But... well... this is kind of a biggie, and I can't do anything about it. I want you guys to be aware of it, if you weren't already, because I feel it's my responsibility to let you know when something about the canon story has to be changed.

The fact of the matter is, when L had the cameras in Light's room, they had yet to meet.

So this: **_"ryu... don't stop..." _**was impossible. (Unless he was dreaming about Ryuk, but he wasn't, trust me.)

I would like it very much if you would forgive me for that bit of stupidity, because if it weren't for that contradiction, this story wouldn't exist.

Let's just call it a bit of an AU, okay?

All right. I hope you guys will forgive me for that. Now on to the chapter.

* * *

When Light woke up, he found himself in a position he had found himself in before—tangled in L's arms, the other man resting his head next to his with his eyes closed in what appeared to be sleep. Light wasn't as shocked as the first time, as the chain was not wrapped around them, and he was also very groggy that morning, but to say he was not shocked at all would be a lie.

He took a moment to remind himself of all that had happened the night before, his face growing hot. The two of them had gone home after their… _conversation_ in the parking lot, and once they were both back inside the building, Watari had been sent back for Misa. In their room, Light had starting ranting about what an idiot he had to be to just _forget_ about the girl like that, until L had eventually wrapped his arms around him to calm him down and the two had just stood there for a while, holding each other.

Light couldn't remember the last time he had been held like that. L's arms were cold, but they had held him gently, and Light had been surprised by the lack of attempts to kiss him or touch him inappropriately.

Had Light been wrong about L just wanting him for sex? Or was L just trying to lead him on slowly, and he would make his move once Light started to trust him a little more? Or maybe his greatest fear was correct, and L really was just trying to make him confess…

It hurt to think about. Especially now, when L was holding him again, so tenderly it seemed almost sinful.

But not even a loving embrace could be trusted. L was a genius, and the man could act, he knew. Light couldn't believe in anything L said or did, despite personal feelings. The man wanted him in prison, and Light wouldn't put it past him to manipulate someone this way.

Then again… maybe he was over thinking things.

Could it really hurt to… to try to make this work?

Light inched closer to L, burying his face in the other man's chest.

Of course it could.

But he wanted to try.

He wanted to hope.

He wanted to lie to himself.

For once, Light wanted to be a fool.

--

L's eyes snapped open the instant Light had fallen back to sleep, the brunette curled against his torso.

He had been awake for the past half-hour, evaluating the previous night's events in his mind and planning his method of attack for the future. The way he saw it, there was only one way.

Gaining his trust was a step in the right direction, but Light would never confess to being Kira in a right state of mind, no matter how much he ended up loving L. Thus, L had to take Light out of that sane state of mind.

For the sake of the world, L would have to get Light very, very turned on.

It wouldn't be too hard. How difficult could it be to get a teenage boy horny, especially when said teenage boy had been under surveillance for about four months, part of the time without use of his hands?

The only hitch in this plan was that L would have to wait. There was no benefit in rushing Light into sex. After all, the boy had a very feminine nature, and would take early sex as a sign of lust instead of genuine caring. That would only make him more suspicious of L's intentions, which would make him uncomfortable during intercourse, which would make it highly unlikely that L would get him in the state of mind he needed.

So, love first. _Then_ mind-blowing, world-saving sex.

How long did love take, anyway?

He had heard of love at first sight, such as in Romeo and Juliet and Misa. But then there were the couples that claimed to have fallen in love gradually, those people in the online dating commercials who 'just clicked', and those people with the unrecognized attraction, who felt all warm and fuzzy around each other for a long time before they finally realized what it was.

(L had always found it odd how people didn't realize it. One would expect it to be noticeable. Perhaps it was like a paper-cut, where you first saw it, and _then_ felt the pain.)

It wasn't what he would like, but L would have to just wait and see how long it would take. Probably a day at the most. In the meantime, he'd have to work out the falling in love part.

L reached over the side of the bed and pulled out his trusty laptop, flipping it open and placing it on his lap. He paid no mind to Light, who groaned as he moved, scooting closer to his chest.

He opened the internet and did a search.

_How to make someone fall in love with you…_

He clicked on the first result.

_Hello, Tracey Cox… Whoever you are._

**--**

_(later that day)_

**The Testing of the Five Ways**

**Way One: Hang around lots… but then be unavailable**

L looked down at the chain.

_Okay… that one's out._

--

**Way Two: Don't do nice things for them. Let them do nice things for you.**

When it was time for a refill of snacks, L placed a slice of cake right next to Light's side, a delicious and moist piece with vanilla frosting and a strawberry on top. Light wasn't a huge fan of cake, and said so, but L told him it was there if he wanted it.

L sat in his own seat (which was just an inch closer to Light's than yesterday) and got to work.

A minute later, L glanced at Light's cake.

At first Light didn't notice. L continued to stare at it, licking his lips when drool started to form.

Light finally noticed his staring and rolled his eyes. "Ryuzaki, do you want my cake?"

"Only if you don't want it, Light-kun."

"I said I didn't want it," Light muttered, handing him the cake. "If you wanted it, you should have just taken it."

"Thank you, Light-kun," said L, taking the cake in hand, "That was very kind of you."

"Whatever," said Light, turning back to his computer screen.

_I don't think that went the way it was supposed to._

_--_

**Way Three: Give them the eye**

_All right, I just need to look into his eyes 75% of the time while talking to him, and that will release phenylethylamine, and he will feel as though he's in love with me. This won't be difficult._

"Ryuzaki."

_Perfect timing. _

"Yes, Light-kun?" asked L, turning his chair towards Light.

"Kira has been slowing down lately," said Light. Their gazes connected and stuck, Light's eyes widening a little. "Could he… um…"

"What's the matter, Light-kun?" asked L.

"…Nothing…" Light still looked somewhat unnerved, but he did not look away. "Kira has been slowing down lately, and I wonder if it could be something we should look into."

"It could be many things," said L, still keeping his eyes on Light's, "He could be having interruptions in his regular lifestyle, or he feels no need to continue at the same speed at the moment. It could also just be a coincidence."

"I… I suppose," said Light. His cheeks were turning red. L felt a surge of triumph. "It just seemed odd to me."

"Ryuzaki?"

_Matsuda. _L held back the urge to look towards the man speaking to him. _This is my chance._

**Way Four: Don't look away**

"Yes, Matsuda-san?" asked L. He made sure to keep his eyes locked with Light's. Thankfully, the other man still didn't look away.

"I was wondering if you would like a refill of your coffee," said Matsuda.

L started to turn his head towards Matsuda, keeping his eyes with Light's. He reminded himself of the article's instructions: _drag your eyes away slowly and reluctantly, as though connected by warm toffee. Warm toffee… warm toffee… I want toffee…_

He managed to keep his eyes with Light's until he was almost completely facing Matsuda. At last he tore his eyes away. "Yes, Matsuda-san," said L, "I would like some more coffee. Thank you."

"Okay," said Matsuda, seeming not to notice the (painfully obvious) eye dragging. "I'll just take your mug, then. Eight cubes of sugar, right?"

"Yes," said L, backing up so Matsuda could take his mug. "Thank you, Matsuda-san."

As Matsuda pulled away, L saw that Light was staring down at the desk, looking bewildered and with his hand inching towards his heart. When the boy noticed L looking at him, he blushed furiously and quickly went back to work.

L held back a smirk. _It worked. I should have looked that up earlier._

…_I wonder…_

"Aizawa-san," said L, turning to the afroed man.

"Yes, Ryuzaki?" said Aizawa, glancing at him. Before L's eyes got to Aizawa's, they took in the image of the man's outside appearance, including the five o'clock shadow, the sweat stains under the arms, and, of course, the massive poof of hair.

"…" L went back to his computer screen. "…never mind, Aizawa-san."

--

**Way Five: Practice pupillometrics (a.k.a.: bedroom eyes)**

L's eyes were usually dilated enough on their own, but some added help couldn't hurt. That night, L dimmed the lights a few levels below their usual brightness.

"Ryuzaki," said Light when they came into the room, "It's really dark in here. Do you think you could turn up the light?"

"I could turn _on_ the Light, Light-kun," said L. "If you would like that."

"But the light is—oh." Light frowned. "Cute."

"Should we go to sleep now, Light-kun?" asked L, walking towards the bed.

Light chuckled, giving the chain a small tug. "Let me change first."

"All right," said L, unlocking the chain from his wrist and locking it to a drawer of the dresser. Light began to get undressed, pulling off his shirt and letting it hang on the chain, and then getting started on unbuttoning his pants.

_The instructions were to focus and your favorite part of their body,_ thought L. _All right, let's see… hmm…_

As he looked over Light's body, he quickly realized that he didn't actually _have_ a favorite part.

It wasn't that L didn't find Light attractive, but Light, being Mister Perfect and all, had no flaws that could help L narrow it down. For now, he settled his eyes on Light's toned back.

_When exactly does Light-kun work out, anyhow? I've never seen him work out, and yet he's in such good shape. It can't be while I'm sleeping, I don't sleep. The chain would wake me up, anyhow. I have my vitamins and pills to keep me healthy, but he has nothing. It's quite the mystery…_

"Ryuzaki, please stop staring at me."

"I can't help it, Light-kun," said L. "You are very attractive."

Light blushed and turned back towards the dresser. "Thank you, but you're making me uncomfortable. Could you maybe turn around for a bit?"

"Why can't I look at you, Light-kun?" L murmured, standing. "Is it really so bad for your lover to admire your body?"

"Lover…?" Light swallowed. "That word sounds so…"

"Intimate?" L walked up to Light and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist. "Why not?"

"Ryuzaki…" Light turned around and looked into L's eyes. He gasped.

L couldn't help it. He smirked. "Is everything all right, Light-kun?"

"I… Something seems different about you, Ryuzaki," said Light, backing up an inch as a deep blush ran over his face.

"Really?" L's smirk spread wider, and he leaned in. "Perhaps… You're just seeing me differently, Light-kun…"

Light turned his head, and L's lips landed on his cheek.

L pulled away. "…Light-kun."

"Sorry, I guess I'm just… not really ready for that…" Light chuckled nervously.

"It's a _kiss_. You've had them before, Light-kun."

"…Yeah… it's just… I don't know." Light smiled shyly, turning back towards the dresser. "I'm just going to get dressed, okay?"

L was annoyed, but for some reason, Light's smile held back the urge to argue. He sat back on the bed and waited for Light to finish changing into the pajama pants he always wore to bed.

"Okay," said Light when he was done.

L got up and walked over to him, unlocking the chain and tossing Light's shirt to the side.

"Hey, wait," said Light, "I can put that back, just a second…"

L reattached the chain and started pulling Light towards the bed. "Too late, Light-kun."

"What—?" Light gasped as he was spun around and pinned to the bed, his mouth suddenly being ravaged by another.

The detective had gotten rather good at kissing over time, and he swirled his tongue at Light's lips, urging the younger man to let him in. Light obliged after a while, and the two fought for dominance, tongues wrestling relentlessly.

When L finally pulled away, the both of them were panting for air, faces flushed. L smirked. "See, Light-kun? Not so bad." He leaned down and began kissing down Light's jaw line.

"Ryuzaki, I can't do this."

L was away in an instant, frowning. The last time he had heard those words, Light had cut him off in the middle of the exact same thing, and the next time they saw each other, Misa had appeared and sent the Kira case into confusion. "What's wrong, Light-kun?"

"I don't want to go this fast," said Light. His eyes were full of an emotion L hadn't seen in them before: fear. But he didn't look nervous, as though nervous about L's sexual advances: just… scared… and hurt.

"…All right, Light-kun," said L. "I won't rush you into anything. I'm sorry for doing something like that so soon."

"It's okay, Ryuzaki," said Light. "Just… well, I'll let you know when I'm ready."

"Okay, Light-kun." L got off of the other man and moved towards his pillow. "I suppose we really ought to go to sleep now, Light-kun."

"Yeah," Light murmured, moving against the headboard and lifting up the covers. "Good night."

"Good night, Light-kun."

L heard Light sigh as he turned away on the mattress, and L felt a tinge of emotion run through his heart.

Annoyance.

_Love will take longer than I thought, won't it?_

_

* * *

_

You get to research funny things for fanfiction. XD Look up "how to make someone fall in love with you". The thing L clicked on really is the first result.

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17: Eruption

**Author's Notes:** Well, I'm finally getting off my lazy bum and doing something. I've joined Track at my school. Unfortunately, that really cuts into my writing time, which is why this is so late...

When I started writing this, I was reading **It** by Stephen King, and that influenced my writing style by a _lot_. Now it's all... serious. I couldn't squeeze any real gags in, so this chapter is less funny than usual... but I still had fun writing it, and you guys usually like the chapters I like, so I think everything will be just fine.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

A few days later, everyone was gathered in the investigation room, hard at work. Aizawa and Mogi compared figures from previous weeks at the coffee table, searching for a correlation in Kira's victims. Matsuda sat in a corner, rereading a paper, trying to make sense of it (or so everyone else assumed—in truth, he had noticed something he thought was a pattern, but it was only a nagging feeling, not strong enough yet for him to judge its importance). Soichiro was drinking coffee in one of the computer chairs, reading the front page of the local news, where there was an article about one of Kira's recent victims. L and Light were at the computers, L reading online forums and reports on Kira, and Light studying a graph (which was, though neither knew it, related to the pattern Matsuda had noticed).

In her room, Misa was lying on the floor, surrounded by various teen magazines. At first she had been searching for anything about herself, giggling about theories on her 50-day disappearance and pouting when she found herself in any 'Worst Dressed' features. Now she was reading the articles and stories, her legs kicking lazily in the air and her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Her magazine was currently turned to a page about relationships. She ran her finger over the words as she read them, bright pink characters against a purple background that was littered with photos of girls and their gorgeous boyfriends (though not as gorgeous as Light, she thought) posing in romantic ways.

Right now her finger was trailing over the title of a feature called, "What Does He Really Want? How to Know When it's You, and When it's Your Body."

Misa smiled. "Light's not like that," she murmured. "Light doesn't pressure me into anything." She giggled a little, and then turned the page.

Light looked up at the monitor when she said this, and when he saw what she was reading, his eyes widened only by a millimeter or so. No one would have noticed it unless they were watching closely, so closely and intently that they would see any change in the boy's face, any at all.

L noticed.

Light looked down again, a contemplative mist in his eyes. As time went on, L thought he could see the mist grow darker, as though some murky depths were spilling into Light's eyes from his mind. Light's expression itself never changed.

_But this isn't the time for that,_ L thought, looking back to his computer screen. _I can't really do anything about Light until everyone else is gone._

His hand twitched, as though it meant to touch Light's thigh, whether L's mind wanted it to or not. L dismissed it as a habit from the flirting stage, although he knew it was _definitely_ not the time for _that_. Even though his conscious mind refused to think about it, his subconscious knew the gesture would have been an attempt at reassurance.

--

It took much longer than usual for everyone to leave that day. Soichiro had gone to bed first, though very reluctantly. The caffeine had worn off, leaving him completely exhausted, and Aizawa had ended up having to practically force him to put down his coffee mug and just _'get some sleep, for God's sake'_. Then the others had left, one by one, Matsuda last—he didn't seem to want to go, either, but his brain was hurting and his eyes were getting heavy. Underneath silk sheets, Misa was breathing softly, her eyes shut in peaceful sleep. That left L and Light, finally alone.

Before L could say anything, Light asked if they could go to their room and go to sleep a little early. L glanced at Light, confused. Light didn't look tired, and even when he _was_ tired, he usually insisted on working until he nearly passed out.

_Maybe he's reached another dead end and wants to refresh his mind,_ thought L, getting up from his seat.

On the way to their room, Light walked at his usual speed—quickly, but with no rush—yet L thought it looked like he was dragging somehow.

Remembering that he was supposed to care, L asked, "Is everything all right, Light-kun?"

When Light looked up, L saw that he now looked genuinely tired. Not physical exhaustion, per se, but an aura of depression like what L had noticed earlier—a sad, contemplative mist.

"I'm fine," said Light, giving a smile that seemed impossibly real, considering what L had seen only a moment ago. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem a little down, Light-kun," said L. "That's all."

"Really?" asked Light, and again the emotion seemed genuine, that bit of surprise that Light let show in his voice. But L knew it couldn't be real. Light was only wearing a mask. _(Up 5%.) _"Well, I'm a little tired. That's probably why."

"Probably." _No it's not. Damn it, am I doing something wrong?_

But L didn't say anything more. He simply watched as Light began to undress, pulling off his shoes and socks first and then standing up to go to the dresser.

Acting impulsively, L walked over to Light as he had a few nights before, wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist. He bent down and placed a soft kiss against the back of Light's tan, bare neck, murmuring the other man's name against the soft skin. Though to some these moves would appear sincere and passionate, he was coordinating every touch in his mind, going by the research he had done online and in novels he had read while Light slept.

"I'm not in the mood tonight, Ryuzaki," said Light, not sounding angry or depressed, just as calm as he always did.

"Mood for _what_, Light-kun?" asked L, smirking playfully, although Light couldn't see it. "Are you saying that you'd be willing to do something if you were in the mood for it?"

"That's not funny," said Light. He reached back and pushed lightly, signaling for L to let go. "May I please dress?"

L frowned and backed away. He lifted a finger to his lips and started chewing on the nail thoughtfully. "Light-kun's desire to avoid physical contact with me makes me think that he is hiding something."

Light had begun walking towards the dresser, but he froze now. He half-turned towards L, his eyes widening. "…What?"

"Or perhaps he's trying to avoid developing feelings because it would ruin his plans," L went on, his eyes flashing. "Up five percent."

At first, Light didn't react. His face was so calm that L almost thought Light hadn't heard him.

But then, as though in slow motion, Light's face began to twist. His lips tightened and thinned as they turned downward over jaws locked with the gritting of teeth. His eyebrows furled together and frizzed as his eyes widened and his nostrils began to flare.

Within moments, Light's expression of calm had morphed into one of absolute, unbridled fury.

"**YOU LITTLE **_**BITCH!**_**"**

L liked to think that he was always prepared for everything, but nothing could have prepared him for the fist that flew at his nose a millisecond later.

As his skull rebounded against the carpet, only two words crossed his mind: _holy _fuck_!_

Then Light was there, pulling him up by the shirt and screaming in his face. "YOU HAVE PUSHED AND PRODDED ME FOR OVER A MONTH! YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT TRY AND GET INTO MY PANTS, WHEN I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DEAL WITH YOU _AND _WORK ON THE KIRA CASE! _I'VE_ BEEN WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN TO CATCH THE _GODDAMNED BASTARD_ WHO'S KILLING PEOPLE, AND YOU ACCUSE ME OF _BEING_ HIM WHEN I _DENY YOU SEX_!" Light pulled L even closer, his grip on the shirt tightening. "WHAT IS YOUR _PROBLEM_?! _YOU'RE_ THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE PUT UNDER SURVEILLENCE, YOU PERVERTED, SADISTIC, BIPOLAR, ANOREXIC _FREAK_!"

L's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. For the first time in his life, his body felt very, very small and very, very weak.

His pants also felt very, very tight.

Light gasped for breath, his eyes still wide, but now out of horror. "Are you… getting _turned on_ by this?"

L opened his mouth to reply, but only a low moan spilled out.

How ironic that Light had called him sadistic.

"Oh my _god_!" Light shouted, dropping L's shirt as though he had just realized it was a used snot-rag. "You _pervert_!"

The tired insult was ignored. Pale hands scrambled up through the air and locked themselves around Light's neck, pulling him down so L could attack the other's lips with his own. L shut his eyes tight and ravished the brunette's mouth with anything that was available—lips, tongue, he felt their teeth collide once or twice—in a fit of passion that was so uncharacteristic it left Light frozen in L's grip.

_(want want want __**need)**_

Light finally pushed L away, sending himself tumbling backwards with the force of his own thrust. Light lifted a trembling hand and wiped away the excess saliva around his mouth with the back of it.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" Light finally managed to say. He still held the hand in front of his lips, as though to protect them from future onslaught.

The curse sent a shiver down L's spine, and he quickly lifted himself from the floor. He crouched on all fours in front of Light, his eyes bright yet hazy with excitement and uncontrollable lust.

"Good god, Light-kun," said L, the words breathy and almost whispered. "You're absolutely _stunning_ when you're angry."

"I… I've gotten angry at you before," Light stammered.

"Yes, you have, but not like _this_," said L. He scuttled over to Light so he was crouched directly over the boy. "Such ferocity, such raw emotion! Please, Light-kun, scream at me again!"

Light scowled. "You're such a—"

He was cut off when L started kissing him again, unable to hold back any longer. Light's words became a muffled sound of shock as their lips collided, and his arms instantly started hitting at L's, struggling to get the man off of him.

When L pulled away, moving on to kissing his neck, Light gasped for breath and started shouting at him again. "Ryuzaki! What's gotten _into_ you? Stop it! St… Hngh…" He gasped as L bit gently into his collar bone, smirking against his skin. "Ah… st… Hey!" Light shoved L again, hard enough to push him away this time. "I said _stop_ it!"

"But _Light-kun_," L whined, trying to hug Light back against him.

"No! Ryuzaki, this is all so unlike you!" Light tried to keep his voice sounding angry, but a bit of incredulous laughter slipped into his scolding. "Cut it out! What's _with_ you?"

"You really need to unleash your emotions more, Light-kun," L panted, wrapping an arm around Light's shoulder and pulling him in so their lips brushed together as he spoke. "I love it…"

"…Ryuzaki?" Light murmured, his eyes wide. "You're acting so…"

His sentence went unfinished, hanging in the air for both to interpret as they wished. L ignored it and slid his eyes shut, leaning in to kiss the other man again.

Light put a hand on L's shoulder, and L pulled back. "Really, Ryuzaki," said Light, "I don't want to go too far. Not… not tonight, anyway."

"But…" L swallowed. "Why?"

"I just think it would be best not to rush into anything," said Light. He rubbed his arm shyly, a gesture L had never noticed before and was instantly smitten with.

"But…"

In a flash of memory, he remembered his plan, and what he had been working for.

(_sex leads to a confession confession confession he's KIRA, damn it)_

"…All right, Light-kun. We'll go at the pace you want."

Light smiled. "Thank you."

This time, Light was the one to kiss L.

"I'm sorry I said those things," Light said as he pulled away.

"Don't be," said L, "It was totally justified. Besides, I quite enjoyed it."

"Um… right." Light blushed, looking away to avoid looking down. "Let's just go to bed now, okay?"

--

As Light drifted into sleep, L continued to watch the younger man, marveling at the new perspective he was seeing Light from. He reached out and began stroking Light's silky hair, his heart fluttering as Light shifted into his touch.

In his enthrallment, he failed to realize that this was exactly what he'd meant to avoid.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** We're actually gettiiiinnng somewheeerrree~

And plot is here! We're not going to be focusing entirely on "Does he love him or not?!" from now on. Although that's _part_ of the plot, but you know what I mean. Canon stuff.

I like making Light angry. I also like making L like Light being angry.

Also, there was a beaver/ferret gag that was originally going to be in here, but it wouldn't fit, and it seemed too OOC in the first place. But I think you guys would enjoy it, so here ya go:

"'But Light-kun, I have to ask... You seem to truly dislike physical contact,' said L. 'Why? Did something happen before?' He felt an angry fire flare in his stomach at the thought of someone attacking Light that way. It was doused in an instant when he realized it might be _his_ fault. 'Was it something _I_ did?'

'No, no. I'm not sure why,' said Light, frowning. 'The thought of sex just makes me feel sort of... squeamish.'

L blinked. 'But... but Light-kun...' He laughed. 'That's so _childish_!'

Light scowled and blushed. 'Don't laugh at me!'

'All right, all right,' said L, waving a hand at him. He smirked. 'Are there any other irrational fears or disgusts I should know about?'

'Well,' said Light, 'I'm also not that fond of beavers.'"

I've had that scene planned for a while... But when I started writing, like I said, it just didn't work. I still like it, though. XD

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18: Focusing

**Author's Notes:** Oh. My. God. Three. Months.

On the bright side... I am not dead.

This chapter was SO HARD TO WRITE. *dead* It was nearly the disaster chapter 9 was... but now it's kind of just a time-skip kind of thing... So it's unbelievably short. However, getting past this chapter brings me one step closer to parts of the story that aren't canon! And those parts will be much more interesting. And with summer vacation coming up, there's a better chance of more writing being done.

However, I think you've learned not to trust my promises... Yeah. It's been a really long time. ...Sorry.

I hope you enjoy the chapter, though again, it's really short... And if you want to yell at me for taking so long, go ahead.

* * *

The next day, L watched Light more closely than ever. Instead of watching him out of suspicion, it was now because L didn't want to tear his eyes away, and when he didn't want to do something, he didn't do it. Which made the watching painfully obvious. The rest of the investigation team was constantly glancing between him and Light, which L ignored, and Light seemed to be pretending not to notice.

Watching Light so carefully--and not just for suspicious acts--revealed a lot of things about the young man that L had never seen before. Mostly small gestures and characteristics, such as the way Light would put the end of his pen to his lips when deep in thought, or the way his eyes would light up when he figured something out. L found himself wishing that Light's small smile was for him and not the investigation, and that they could be alone again, somewhere secluded and beautiful, like a tropical beach on an island far away where there were no murderers to find or work to be done.

Never before had he gotten lost in fantasies like these, but now his mind could focus on nothing else. He saw himself standing barefoot in the sand, with Light in the distance, staring into the deep blue ocean with that small smile on his lips. Light turned to L, and his smile grew, causing L to smile in return. A sudden breeze blew Light's hair into his face, and Light laughed and brushed it out of his eyes, opening his lips to murmur:

"Ryuzaki... please stop staring at me."

The tropical beach again became the investigation room, and Light's small smile became a glare. L had to blink a few times to get reality straight again.

"Huh?"

"Staring, Ryuzaki," Light muttered. "You're staring at me. Very intensely. Please cut it out."

"Oh," said L, as though he hadn't realized it. "I'm sorry, Light-kun. Was it quite obvious?"

"Yes." Light sighed, turning back to his work. Though the boy's expression was serious, L could see the blood rushing to his cheeks. It was rather adorable, really. "And the others are noticing. It would be beneficial for the both of us if you would stop."

"All right, Light-kun," said L. "I'll stop being so obvious about my staring."

"Tha--wait." Light scowled and sighed in frustration. "Fine. That works too."

L smiled. "I'm glad you're willing to compromise, Light-kun."

"Just get back to your work."

L turned back to his work, continuing to glance at Light out of the corner of his eye. Light ignored him, getting back into his work with extreme concentration. L's mind again began to wander, and this time the setting stayed the same, with L imagining just him and Light alone in the investigation room. In his daydream, Light suddenly grabbed a hold of the chain, pulling L forward and mashing their lips together...

"Ryuzaki! Ryuzaki, I think I've found something!"

L was once again torn from his fantasy, and it did not make L happy.

_Darn it, Matsuda, stop getting work done!_

But he refrained from saying this and turned around. "What is it, Matsuda-san?"

"There have been a lot of deaths in all these big companies," said Matsuda excitably, "I think it might be connected to Kira!"

L nodded. "Interesting. Focus on that, Matsuda-san."

Matsuda's face fell slightly--he had been apparently expecting more praise than that--but he did not falter. "All right, Ryuzaki. I'll--"

"Wait," said Light. "Matsuda, I think you've been looking into the same thing I am."

"I have?" asked Matsuda.

"Yes," said Light, "And I've done research into the causes of the deaths... They were all accidents and disease." L gave a small gasp. Light glanced at him, then continued talking. "And if it's connected to Kira..."

"...Then Kira can kill with more than just heart attacks," finished L incredulously. "This... this could be a total breakthrough..."

Matsuda beamed, and Light swiveled around in his chair, pulling open a graph.

"Look at what else I've discovered, Ryuzaki," said Light, "There's a company that has been profiting from all these deaths."

L got up and quickly came to Light's side. "Which company is it, Light-kun?"

"Yotsuba."

--

From there on, things went surprisingly smoothly. After hiring the professional criminals Aiber and Wedy, the investigation progressed quickly, despite--and partly because of--some slight setbacks thanks to the 'heroics' of Secret Agent Matsuda. It was discovered that a board of powerful leaders of Yotsuba were the ones behind the killings, choosing the people who would be killed, both from other companies and their own. Thanks to some impressive maneuvers by Light, the team got a link into the board by means of Namikawa, the VP of sales. They also got Aiber inside of the building, and Misa got into a commercial for one of Yotsuba's businesses. Video recordings of the meetings held by the board provided enough proof to arrest them, but it was required to keep watching to discover the true Kira and find just what he was using to kill.

Though L certainly wasn't disappointed by the quick progress, he was disappointed by how busy the investigation was making him. When the Kira case was at a standstill, he was able to find time to make progress with Light. Now he and Light got no time to themselves, and while L wanted to be alone with Light in order to gain new evidence on his status as Kira, he was also finding himself with an insane desire to be alone with Light just to be alone with him. After he was again able to think clearly (or, at least, mostly clearly) he realized how he was getting rolled into the spiderweb he had been attempting to spin. And if the spider and the fly were both entangled, no one would feast.

Which, in retrospect, was a rather disturbing metaphor. But no matter. The point being, L would have to focus if he wanted to win.

One night, when everyone was paying attention to other things, Light stole a kiss, his and L's lips connecting and breaking apart so quickly that L scarcely realized it had happened.

A few nights later, the glow from Light's computer screen illuminated the brunette's face too beautifully for L not to stare.

Yet another night, the two reached for the sugar bowl at the same time, and their hands touched. Light, instead of pulling away, wrapped his hand around L's and gave it a small squeeze.

L's hand felt warm a full ten minutes after Light pulled away. His hand had never been held before, not like that.

Focusing would be remarkably difficult.

* * *

**Author's Note:** If you notice anything wonky about this chapter, please point it out. Meaning both grammatical errors and scenes that you think would be better some other way. Again, this chapter was tough, so I really don't mind at all if you point out some changes you think should be made.

Please review!


	19. Hiatus

All right, guys, I think it's obvious that Sleep Talking hasn't been updated for a while. This is partly because I'm lazy, partly because I'm not obsessed with Death Note anymore, partly because I have ideas for other projects, and mostly because I've been dreading the rest of the story because I've slowly realized that the rest of it sucks.

I've gotten an idea for making it better, but it'll take a while to work out all the details. I don't want to just make it up as I go along, because I've tried that with past stories, and it doesn't work out well.

So until I can get my inspiration for Sleep Talking back, I am going to be putting it on hiatus. This could take a while, but it already was, am I right?

I'm really sorry, since I know a lot of you must be really frustrated with me already. I've always felt that when you make a story and people are reading it, and _want_ to read it, it's your responsibility to see it through, and I know I've gone against that principle for a long time now. I feel awful for it, believe me. Feel free to throw a couple of bricks.

But it must be done. And so, I humbly ask you for your forgiveness and patience. Thank you.

--Kit Pocket


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